Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by PrincessOfCliffiesRCS
Summary: COMPLETED: Written Pre-OotP, Harry's fifth year will be the hardest he's ever had to face.... New abilites, new secrets, near death experiences, a bit of forbidden romance, and angst! lots of it! Not to mention death to two characters!Hehehe!
1. No Way Out

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Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

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HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

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CHAPTER ONE – NO WAY OUT

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"Someone's coming," said a voice suddenly.

Squinting tensely through the dark, two boys, with their arms straight out as if they were pointing at something, watched a figure drawing near, walking steadily toward them between the graves in a churchyard. The figure's face was not visible, but from the way it was walking, one could tell that it was carrying something. The figure was short and wearing a hooded cloak pulled up over its head to obscure its face. As the figure approached the thing, that it held in its arms, became more visible. It looked like it could be a baby.

The two boys glanced tensely at each other then turned back to watch the approaching figure. It stopped about six feet from the boys beside a towering marble headstone. For a few moments the three figures just looked at each other. Then without warning one of the boys dropped what it was that he held in his hand, covered his face, and dropped to the ground, and rolled around as if in great pain.

A cold, high, maniacal voice said, "Kill the spare."

A second voice also high, but screechy said, "Avada Kedavra!"

A blast of green light emitted from the extended arm of the man standing next to the marble headstone. The boy still standing fell to the ground, spread eagle, with a heavy thump, very obviously dead. A scream was heard….

As a teenage boy sat bolt upright in his bed, he realized he was still screaming. Tears flowed freely down his face, as he stopped his screaming. He angrily brushed the tears away and waited to hear the words that he knew were coming….

"HARRY POTTER! Confound it all! There are some people who live in this house who would like to sleep!!! Knock off all that racket!! And if you wake us again you will be locked in your room for a month, bars on the window and all!!"

"S-sorry, Uncle V-vernon!" said the boy shakily, as he continued to sit on his bed. He reached over and picked up his round shaped glasses and turned on his lamp. He wiped away the stubborn tears that refused to stop falling. He raised his knees and put his head down onto them trying, once again, to get the images that haunted his dreams and his very life to disappear. 

Once he felt that he had pulled himself together enough, he lifted his black haired head. Beneath his messy hair was a small scar on his forehead shaped like a lightening bolt. His green eyes turned toward the window. There was a slight light beginning to show in the sky to the east. He sighed and said quietly, "Well, I can see that there is no point in trying to go back to sleep tonight." 

He got off his bed and reached under it. He lifted a loose board and pulled out several books. One was a small leather bound photo album. He placed it upon his desk and opened it up. On the first page there was a man, with the same messy black hair as the boy looking at the album, and a woman, with auburn hair and the same brilliant green eyes as the boy, standing together holding a little baby boy. The boy smiled as the picture started doing the most amazing thing: the woman and man began waving.

For this was no ordinary boy. He was most unwelcome member of the house that he lived in, that's true. But the house was not the only place he lived. For nine months out of the year he lived at his school. Now to you this may not seem like a very strange thing at all, and normally it would not be. However the school that this boy attended was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And he was a young wizard by the name of Harry Potter.

His name, though frowned at in the Muggle, or non-magical, world of his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley's home, was known throughout the Wizarding world. He was known as the Boy-Who-Lived. Or the boy who at the age of one-year-old defeated the greatest Dark wizard of his time, Lord Voldemort, whose name witches and wizards still feared to speak. Although He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was defeated, his soul lived on in some diminished, weak, and insubstantial form. 

It had only been a few weeks since Harry had returned from his fourth year at Hogwarts. But they had been the longest days of his life. Harry felt that the castle that held his school was more of a home than in the house where he now sat. His aunt, uncle, and cousin Dudley had always made it quite clear how they felt about Harry. They had always thought of him as a freak and treated him as such.

Harry tried his hardest to try to ignore their taunting, but after what he had just experienced at school, he did not think he could keep up the good front for very much longer. Each year since he had entered Hogwarts, He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named, in what ever form he could, had tried to kill Harry. And this past year had been no different. 

The dream he had just been having, was only a very small piece of what had happened to him. Voldemort had had his lackey, Wormtail, kill the other boy, Cedric Diggory, who had been with Harry. And though that was not the worst part of what had happened, it was the hardest for Harry to get over. 

On some level he felt it had been his responsibility that that had happened. After all it had been he who suggested that they both take the Tri-wizard cup of the tournament that they had been participating in.

Harry tried to shake those thoughts from his head again. He was trying very hard not to dwell on the fact that Cedric was now dead. But unfortunately, the thoughts about Cedric brought up the rest of the memories about what had happened. The images flashed through Harry's mind:

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His scar burning to the point that he retched. Seeing Cedric's dull gray eyes staring out of his dead body. Feeling himself being lifted and dragged toward the marble headstone with the name Tom Riddle written on it. Then being turned around and slammed against the stone. Being tied to the stone. Watching as Wormtail dragged a huge caldron to the foot of the grave and setting a fire beneath it. Picking up what Harry had thought was a baby, and dropping it into the caldron. Hearing the chant that caused the grave at his feet to crack and a trickle of dust to enter the caldron. Seeing Wormtail cut off his hand and put it into the caldron too. And finally feeling the pierce of pain as Wormtail cut his arm to gather his blood all to bring back his greatest foe: Lord Voldemort. 

Harry shuddered involuntarily. He tried to put this out of his mind as the sun began to rise. He closed the album and placed it back into the floor beneath his bed. His tummy rumbled and he realized that he was quite hungry. He reached into the hole again and took out a meat pie that one of his best friends, Ron's, mother had made and sent to him, knowing that Harry was barely fed at all while living there at 4 Privet Drive with his aunt and uncle. He ate a small piece very quietly, not wanting to alert Dudley to the fact that he had food in his room. He swore that Dudley had the ears of a hawk when it came to food.

Dudley had been on a diet for the past year, as he was roughly the size of a small elephant. But the diet wasn't working, because every time he smelt, saw, or even heard someone eating food, he was right there and having to eat some too. 

Once Harry had finished his small piece of pie he then turned once again to his books. He started flipping through them trying to decide where he should begin to do his summer homework. 

He decided on the potion's essay that he had to write about the Veritaserum and its uses. It was for his least favorite professor, Snape, who always seemed to have it out for Harry. He did not really feel like doing that particular essay. But as he had just witnessed what the potion had done, seeing as it had been administered to an intruder who had helped to get Harry to the graveyard a little over a month ago, he figured that it would not hurt to do it now. At least then it would be done and over with. 

He sat at the desk until he had written two feet of parchment on the subject. And though Snape had asked for four feet, Harry was not sure how he could get more than that. He supposed that he should look it up in the book, to see if he could find out more information on it. He stretched and continued until he had five feet of parchment. _Ha! Beat that Hermione!_ he thought happily, successfully leaving all thoughts of Cedric and Voldemort behind. He got up and put away his books and homework under the boards in the bed. He returned to the chair at his desk as he began to turn his thoughts to his friends.

Hermione was one of his best friends and she was an insufferable know-it-all most of the time. Though as he thought about her his smile faded. Just before he had come home a couple weeks ago, she had kissed him on the cheek. He hoped beyond hope that that did not mean that she liked him. Harry loved her as a friend, but he had seen how Ron was always looking at her. Whether Ron would admit it to himself or not, it was quite obvious to Harry that Ron had feelings beyond friendship for the girl. He would not stand in the way of that. He just hoped that Hermione would see that too.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden dull burning sensation in his forehead. His scar was burning again. It grew stronger until Harry fell out of his chair and crumpled into a heap on the floor, clutching his head and writhing in pain. He knew that it could mean only one of two things: Voldemort was either nearby or feeling murderous. 

Through his pain, Harry got to his hands and knees and crawled to his window. He looked out trying to see if he could see anything. Seeing as how it was light out now, he didn't understand why this would be happening. As far as he knew, Voldemort only attacked or traveled at night. Harry saw nothing, but the pain got so intense that it made him pass out onto the floor.

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Three hours later at noon, Harry was being kicked. "Come on you lazy brat. Get up. Now. I expect you downstairs to help your aunt in twenty minutes!" Harry opened his eyes wearily, realizing that he was in fact still on the floor from when he collapsed. His glasses were a couple feet in front of him. He grabbed them and put them on.

His uncle, a large man with beady eyes and a bushy mustache, turned on his heel and stomped out of the room saying, "If you are going to sleep on the floor, then you don't need a bed. So if I catch you on the floor again, the bed will be removed from your room, as you obviously think that you are too good to sleep on the bed that we have provided for you."

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Leave it to Uncle Vernon to take me being on the floor as an insult, thought Harry, shaking his head. He sat up trying to recall what had happened. He suddenly remembered that he had been thinking of Hermione when the pain hit him. _Oh no! I hope that doesn't mean that Hermione was the one in danger! _thought Harry.

Harry quickly got to his feet and began getting ready for the day ahead. As he worked, he remembered the last words that Dumbledore, the headmaster of his school, had said to him. "Remember Harry, if there are any instances where you experience pain in your scar… I would like to know about it." It wasn't a demand, but Harry knew that it was important to tell him everything. Harry quickly pulled up the loose floorboards and pulled out his quill and ink and a blank piece of parchment. Then he jotted a quick note to Dumbledore.

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

I know that you asked me to let you know if my scar hurt at all. Well, this morning it did. It was pretty bad too. Just a quick note to let you know.

Harry

Harry then ran to the cage, on his bureau, where his snowy owl, Hedwig, was sleeping upon her perch. "Hey, girl. I have a very important letter for you deliver." Hedwig opened one eye and seeing Harry standing there with the small piece of parchment in his hand, she ruffled up her feathers happily. She hooted a soft hoot and then flew out of the cage, landing beside him. She stuck out her leg importantly and nipped Harry's fingers lovingly as he tied the note to it. He opened the window and she flew out, knowing her destination without even being told. 

He turned to his door and ran to the bathroom, where he washed up quickly. He dressed and ran down the stairs, just as Uncle Vernon was coming out of the living room to get him. Dudley was not very far behind him peaking around the corner to watch what was going to happen. Dudley loved it when Harry got in trouble, and lived to see him in misery. 

"Well, it about time that you showed your freaky little face down here. Now get into the kitchen. Your Aunt Petunia has something for you to do." He turned and walked down the hall, past the little cupboard that had been his home for almost ten years, the ten years before he had found out that he was a wizard to be exact, and continued on into the kitchen. 

There his Aunt stood with her back to him. Her long neck was craned as far as it could be, as she was peering out of the window into the neighbor's yard. The door banged shut behind Harry and his aunt jumped. She turned to face her nephew. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she thought that he had purposely scared her. "It's about time you got your lazy bottom down here," she said coldly. 

She picked up a large piece of paper from the counter in front of her. She handed it to him saying, "There you are. These are the chores that I expect you to have done by dinner. We have a guest coming tomorrow and I want this place to be spotless. Do you understand what I am saying to you, boy?" She had taken to speaking to him as if his unusualness was due to him being completely and utterly stupid, instead of being a wizard.

Harry nodded. "Who's coming tomorrow?"

Aunt Petunia sighed as if put out by his lack of knowledge. "Mrs. Figg will be coming to tea tomorrow, as we have business to discuss, if you _must_ know. Now get to work."

"What sort of business?" asked Harry defiantly.

"We are getting you a job with her this summer. She needs help, poor woman. She has never been the same since she tripped over her cat and broke her leg four years ago. And well she's getting on in years. She needs some help around the house. So I expect you to do what ever she asks you to. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he said through gritted teeth. Harry set to work on the tasks on the list. After completing only a few chores he realized how hungry he was. He realized that he had missed both breakfast and lunch. And with only that small piece of meat pie that he had had earlier that morning, he felt he needed sustenance. He wanted to go into the house and tell his aunt, but he knew that she would just scoff at him and dismiss him without so much as a crust of bread. He kept working in the back yard. 

When he finished he sat down on the garden bench and admired his work. He remembered that he had been sitting in that very spot nearly three years before when he first saw Dobby the house elf. He smiled as he thought of the little house elf, who had almost killed Harry trying to save his life. Harry had saved Dobby by freeing him from his abusive family, the Malfoys. But Harry really didn't want to think about them, as his greatest archenemy at school was Draco Malfoy, a snotty, relentless bully who thought he was better than everyone else was, just because he came from a long line of "pure" wizards. Pushing Draco from his mind, Harry smiled at the thought of seeing the little elf again when he returned to Hogwarts, where the elf now worked.

As he sat there his mind drifted to better places. He wished some how that he would be saved from his family as he had saved Dobby, but somehow he just didn't see that happening. He got up to start working again when his scar once again exploded with pain. He fell to his knees. Through the pain he once again looked around and tried to see if there was any indication of what was causing the pain. Again there was nothing. The pain increased and he retched.

At that very moment his aunt had been looking out of her window to see what he was doing. She ran out the door and started screaming at him for destroying her lawn. She grabbed Harry roughly by the arm and directed him into the house. She shoved him stumbling into his room. "If you want to destroy somewhere, you are most welcome to do it here. But you are banned from going outside until Mrs. Figg needs you." She slammed the door and locked him in the room. He collapsed half onto the floor, half onto the bed.

A few hours later he woke again. His whole body ached as if he had just had the Cruciatus Curse, a curse that cause the victim of it to be in incredible pain, had just been placed upon him. He rolled onto the floor and sat there for a few moments trying to catch his breath. He stood up and went to the window that was now dark. He looked around the neighborhood, though he could not see much but the back yards of several neighbors.

He shrugged his shoulders and sat down at the desk. He stared out of the window for a while and then the dull pain in his scar became apparent again. Suddenly, in the sky over the house right in front of his window, a shape formed. It was a green mark shaped like a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. Harry knew instantly that this was a very bad sign, as it was the Dark Mark of Voldemort. It was only shot into the sky right after Voldemort or one of his followers had murdered someone in the house that it hovered over. 

Harry stood up, knocking over his chair. He went to his window and threw it open. He tried to see something, anything, to tell him what was going on in the house. But all was silent and dark. He watched for a while longer and just as he thought nothing was going to happen, he saw something pass in front of the window, as the curtains moved. He sat silent and low, still watching. He heard a shriek and some maniacal laughter. The window opened and a little girl tried jumping out. She was pulled back into the house and that shriek found his ears again. 

Harry knew he needed to act. He couldn't just sit there as the little girl was murdered. He ran to his trunk and grabbed his wand. He knew that he was not supposed to use magic during the holidays due to the Decree for Underage Wizards, but he couldn't just sit there either. He decided that he would just try to explain it to Dumbledore if they questioned him about it. 

Harry got out onto the windowsill and reached over to the drainpipe. He knew it wouldn't hold him for long, but he had to try. When he got to the bottom he looked up and thought briefly that he was going to have to find another way back up into his room. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but he knew that he couldn't just sit around and wait to see what would happen to the girl. He slunk across the lawn and climbed the fence between the two yards. He jumped down into the other yard and slipped quietly up to the window. 

He was about to look inside when he heard a voice come from just on the other side of the window. "I thought you said that he would be here."

"Quiet!" hissed a second voice that he recognized as Draco's father, Lucius. "If he is nearby then we don't want to scare him off!"

"I'm tired of waiting for Potter to show up. I want to kill the girl now."

"Crucio!" There was a yellow flash and a stifled groan emitted from the other man. "Crabbe, you fool! If he is around here, he will now suspect the truth, that this is a trap set to capture him. The Master wants to draw him out of his protection. You _know_ that the Master suspects that he lives in this area. So shut your trap or I will curse you again."

"But we've been doing this all day and he hasn't shown up," whined Crabbe. "We even went to the house of that Mudblood friend of his, just to see if he was staying there with her. I must say it was very satisfying to destroy those filthy Muggles."

"Yes. It's a shame that the Weasleys are a pure blood family. It would be truly satisfying if the Master would let us do away with those Muggle and Mudblood loving fools. I dare say, though, that the Master was very generous to allow us to set an example with them next though. I cannot wait to see the fear in their eyes when we take their youngest two childr – Shh! What was that? Go check outside the window."

Harry crouched just outside under the window with his hand over his mouth. He had gasped at hearing what they were planning. He knew that he was in a very exposed place just under the window, but he didn't want to run knowing that that would surely draw attention to him. He just sat there and prayed, cursing himself for not remembered to bring his father's invisibility cloak. 

Harry looked up and, sitting very still as flat against the wall of the house as he could get, watched as a hooded head stuck itself out the window. Harry caught his breath, afraid to even breathe. The head looked to the left. It looked to the right. Then it scanned the entire backyard. It seemed to hang there above Harry for an eternity. When it didn't see anything it pulled back into the house. "Sorry, there wasn't anything there, Lucius."

"Well, I believe we have waited long enough. He is obviously not in this area. We will have to move onto the next suspected area. Kill the girl. We cannot leave witnesses."

Harry was just about to jump up to stop them, when he heard the words that he was dreading to hear, "Avada Kedavra." Then there was laughter followed by two faint pops. He knew they were gone. He stood up cautiously and looked in through the window. The sight that met his eyes, made him cry out. In the middle of the room that he could see into had four people lying with the same vacant expressions on their faces that Cedric had had. Three adults, probably little girl's mother, father, and what looked like her grandmother, and of course the little girl.

He climbed into the window and sat on the floor weeping. Another family that had lost their lives all because of him. Suddenly Harry heard the front door fly open and Harry stood up with his wand extended. Tears stubbornly continued to fall as two men, obviously wizards, as they were cloaked and had wands in their extended hands, came around the corner to where Harry was standing guard over the bodies.

They looked at each other and stepped into the light. They wore upon their cloaks the emblem of the Ministry of Magic. Harry looked up into the eyes of….

"Mr. Weasley! What are you doing here?"

"I'll get to that in a minute. I think the more poignant question is: What are _you_ doing here?"

"Well, sir, I live right over there, as you know," said Harry pointing to his aunt and uncle's house. He then proceeded to explain what had happened, including everything that he had heard up to the attack on Hermione's family. But before he got to the last part of the conversation that he had overheard he got choked up with emotion. "Sir? Is it true? Did they actually attack Hermione and her parents?"

Arthur Weasley's balding red head fell to his chest, not wanting to meet the eyes of the boy.

"No! No!" yelled Harry, the tears falling down his face anew.

"Harry, it's not like that," said Mr. Weasley quietly.

"Then what is it like?" Harry started stepping back, forgetting the four bodies were still there on the floor behind him.

Mr. Weasley grabbed Harry's arm before he fell onto the bodies. He pulled him into a hug and brought him into the next room. As he left the room he told the other ministry official to call in a clean up crew. 

Mr. Weasley and Harry sat down on the couch. Arthur Weasley swallowed hard and looked into Harry's eyes before he began. "Harry, the Death Eaters did attack Hermione's family's home. That's true…." He paused seeing the tears well up in Harry's eyes. Harry tried very hard to blink them away. "But they did not kill Hermione. Only her parents. However…."

"Where is Hermione?"

"Harry…."

"Please Mr. Weasley. Just tell me."

"Harry, we don't know where she was. She was not at the house when it was attacked. We're not sure if she was taken or…." Mr. Weasley stopped not wanting to say what he feared.

Harry thought for a moment. He remembered something about Hermione going away somewhere…. "Mr. Weasley, she was supposed to go and visit Victor Krum this summer…. You don't suppose…"

"Hold that thought, Harry." He walked into the other room. Harry followed to the doorway and listened to what he had to say. "Jonathan, I think I might have just gotten a lead on where Miss Granger is…. When I am finished talking to Harry here, I'm going to go to follow up on that lead. If I find her then I will do the unfortunate task of informing her about her parents. Please finish up here and do the necessary alterations. Meanwhile I am going to bring Harry back to his home to finish our conversation."

"Yes, sir."

He walked back into the room where Harry was now sitting on the couch again. "Harry, I think it might be best if we continued this conversation elsewhere. Come here and hold on tight." Mr. Weasley held out a small piece of paper. The piece of paper turned out to be a portkey. Harry felt the familiar pull in his stomach. They landed hard and Harry toppled over. When he looked up he found himself in the familiar surroundings of The Burrow, the Weasleys' home. 

"I thought you were taking me back to my home…"

"I thought it best if my partner did not know exactly where I took you…. There has been some speculation that there could be spies in the Ministry already." 

Mr. Weasley sat down on the couch. Harry got up and sat next to Mr. Weasley and they continued their conversation. "So as you were saying, Harry…."

"Well, I remember that Hermione was invited to Victor Krum's place for the summer. I don't remember when she was supposed to leave, but…"

"That's as good a place as any to begin. Now what else can you remember about tonight."

Harry finished the story forgetting one crucial piece until the last moment. "Mr. Weasley! I just remembered that there was something that I forgot to tell you in the conversation between Mr. Malfoy and Crabbe!"

"What is it Harry?" asked Mr. Weasley anxiously, hearing the panic in Harry's voice.

"They are supposed to be coming here to take Ginny and Ron!"

Mr. Weasley got up and, grabbing Harry's arm, pushed Harry in front of him to the stairs. They ran up the stairs together to Ginny's room. "Wait here," he said as he opened the door and checked on his youngest child. Harry could hear Mr. Weasley talking to her, "Ginny! Get up now. You're in danger."

Ginny replied sleepily, "What are you on about, Da? It's almost midnight."

"Get up, Ginny. You are in danger."

Hearing the urgency in her father's voice she sat up, "What?"

"Just get up and dressed. Now! Then join me in Ron's room."

He came out of her room and he and Harry ran up to Ron's room. They entered Ron's room and the conversation that ensued there was eerily similar to the one that Harry had just overheard moments before at Ginny's room. Harry and Mr. Weasley waited outside of Ron's room. A few moments later Ginny, not realizing that Harry was there on the other side of her father, joined them. She had a great case of bed head hair. With her red hair it almost appeared like there was a fire frozen on her head. Harry, despite himself and the current bad situation, had to snort to himself. Mr. Weasley looked down at Harry and smiled himself. 

A few moments after that Ron emerged from his room, looking completely disoriented and disheveled. He too did not notice that Harry was there. They all trampled quickly down the stairs, effectively waking every other person in the household. When they reached the kitchen, it was at that moment that both Ron and Ginny realized that Harry was standing next to their father. 

Ginny's expression was that of horror. She quickly ran her hands through her hair and sat with her eyes downcast, her face turning as red as her hair, which looked only partially less flyaway than a few moments before. Harry tried really hard to keep from laughing. He knew that he wouldn't like to be seen after being rudely awoken in the night either.

They then began their conversation in earnest. Mr. Weasley explaining everything that Harry had told him to the other two. Shortly they were joined by the rest of the family that had been woken by their stampeding down the stairs. Harry and Ron were both obviously trying to hold back their emotions. Ginny had very obviously been crying.

Mrs. Weasley stormed into the room. "What is going on here? Arthur? What are you doing home? I thought that Ministry was sending you out on some more of those raids tonight?" Then realizing Harry was there, she threw a questioning look at her husband as she ran over and hugged the boy that she had somehow started feeling like was truly part of her family. "It is good to see you, Harry, dear." Harry fought hard against his raging emotions. As she let him go, she turned to her husband with her arms crossed waiting for an explanation to her previous questions.

Mr. Weasley sensing his wife's apprehension began, "Yes. Well, those raids turned out to be something quite different. But I will explain all of that to you later. Right now I need your help Molly. Percy, I leave you in charge here."

They all watched as the Weasley parents left the room. Fred, George, and Percy looked quizzically to Ron, Harry, and Ginny, none of whom would speak. The three of them just shared looks of sadness and fear. A few moments later Molly and Arthur returned they put a Daily Prophet newspaper in the center of the table. "If you would all please touch this newspaper, everything will become apparent to you in a few moments." They all touched the newspaper, unquestionably. 

Just as they began to feel that familiar pull behind the navel, there was a huge explosion. When the landed on the ground in a heap they quickly got to their feet and looked around. The first thing that they noticed was that Mr. Weasley and Percy were not among them. Harry looked around and realized that he did not have a clue as to where he was.

"Where are we?"

It was Fred that answered. "At the Ministry of Magic, in my dad's office. But why are we here?"

"Come on sit down everyone. I'm sure that your father will be along shortly. We don't want to alert others that we are here. So please be quiet." She pulled Harry into a wonderful hug and then directed him to the couch in the office to sit. When Mr. Weasley and Percy failed to show up after a few minutes, Mrs. Weasley got up and started pacing. After a few minutes of her pacing and she glanced at her watch. She sighed, "I'm afraid I need to go and see what is taking your father so long. Sit tight. I'm going to check out the situation. I'll be right back." She disapperated with a faint pop.

They all stared at each other. Fred and George decided that they couldn't take the suspense any longer. They told Ron, Harry, or Ginny had better start speaking up or they were going to put some Canary creams into their food when they weren't looking. Ron and Ginny looked at Harry, who sighed and began the story all over again, quietly.

Just as he was getting to the part about Hermione, there were three pops that made them all jump. They looked up and saw Mr. Weasley stumble and fall to the floor. Percy was standing there white as a ghost with his mouth opening and closing like a fish. There was a little blood running down his cheek. 

Mrs. Weasley bent down to tend to Mr. Weasley. She sat him up against the desk. They all realized why he had fallen. His leg was broken. The five who had been sitting in the office were looking on with horror. They watched in much anticipation as Mrs. Weasley went to the bottom drawer of her husband's desk and pulled out an emergency kit. She opened it up and pulled out his spare wand. She handed it to him and he fixed his leg. 

By the time he had finished fixing his leg, Percy had sat down on the floor against the wall opposite from them, still looking like a fish. Ron finally decided that it was time to break the silence, "Da? What happened?"

"The Death Eaters attacked our house. They were there to get you Ron, and Ginny, in an obvious attempt to get to Harry. Unfortunately since Ron and Ginny were not there, they decided that the next best way to send a message to us was to… destroy the house." He said the last bit with a catch in his voice.

"What?" was echoed around the room from the five who had not known what had happened.

Mr. Weasley stood up and walked gingerly toward Harry. "I'm afraid we won't be able to have you over this summer, as it will take us the rest of the summer to rebuild The Burrow," he said as he put his hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry looked up and saw tears in the older man's eyes. "Come on Harry. I'll need to take you home, now." 

"Mr. Weasley wait…. Why were you at the house behind the Dursley's anyway? I thought that you were the Head of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Why were you responding to a call about a home being invaded by Death Eaters? I thought that that was supposed to be another department's job."

"You are absolutely right, Harry. It should be the responsibility the Officials from the Unspeakables or the Improper Use of Magic Offices. But with Fudge in complete denial that You-Know-Who is back…. Well, let's just say that he is finding ways to explain away what has been happening. The reason that I was there tonight was because Fudge believed that one of the "former" Death Eaters had charmed a clock to put out the Dark Mark at a certain time right over the house." Harry made a face that said that he highly doubted that that was the case. "I know. I didn't believe it either, but…. Anyway, I believe that you should be getting home now, Harry." Mr. Weasley walked over to his desk and started shuffling through the bits of parchment on the desk.

"Mr. Weasley," said Harry quietly, "Where are you going to stay while The Burrow is being rebuilt?"

Mr. Weasley looked up and about the room, knowing full well that he would find several other faces anxious to find out the answer to that question. "I'm not really sure at the moment, Harry. But don't you worry about us. We'll manage."

Mr. Weasley took a piece of parchment from his desk and muttered an incantation. He disapperated for a moment and then was back with the usual pop. Mrs. Weasley came over to Harry and gave him one final hug. As she did she whispered into his ear, "Stay safe, Harry. Don't do anything stupid. We'll see you soon." Harry smiled and said his good byes to everyone.

Mr. Weasley handed the parchment to Harry and Harry felt the pull at his navel for the third time that day. He landed softly in his room. He looked at the paper in his hand. He noticed a little note on it in Mr. Weasley's scrawl.

If we can manage it, Harry, we will find a way to get you out of there. But other than that I cannot promise anything.

Harry let the paper flutter out of his hands to the floor. He threw himself onto his bed. The emotions that he had been fighting from the moment that he had found out about Hermione's parents took over. His anger and sadness caused burning hot tears to fall into his pillow. Despite the promise from Mr. Weasley's note, Harry knew that there was no way out of his uncle's house now. He was just going to have to stick it out for the rest of the summer. 

He knew that he needed to be quiet, but he just couldn't help himself. He let out a long primal scream deep into his pillow and bed. He just hoped that it wouldn't wake his uncle. He didn't know how long it lasted, but when he was done he fell asleep, being thoroughly worn out by it.


	2. At Mrs Figgs

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Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review!

**__**

CHAPTER TWO – AT MRS. FIGG'S

Harry woke to his Aunt pounding at his door. "Harry Potter, you get up out of that bed right now. Mrs. Figg expects you at her house in 25 minutes and I am not about to drive you there. So get up. Now!!"

Harry rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. 7:05am. He sighed heavily. He had been working at Mrs. Figg's house every day now for a week. As he sat up every one of his muscles ached. He winced as he gingerly got to his feet and started getting ready for the day. 

Harry had hoped that his Aunt Petunia was joking about the fact that she had wanted him to work for Mrs. Figg. But here it was day 8 of the early morning wake up call. Mrs. Figg so far had made Harry scrub her floors with a very small brush, scrub out her bathtub, weed her garden, clean out her refrigerator (which had obviously not been cleaned in several years), and clean out her entire guest room, and that was all on the first day. Since that day she had made him do much of the same things every day.

Harry felt that he couldn't scrub or weed another thing. And he got nothing for it. Mrs. Figg had an "arrangement" with his aunt that she would give all of the money that Harry earned to her. After the very first week his aunt went out and bought herself some new gaudy earrings for herself and a little TV for her little "Dudders" to take back to school with him in the fall, with the money that Harry had earned. Harry completely resented it, but there wasn't anything that he could do about it. Nothing but grin and bear it.

He went down to get his scanty meal about fifteen minutes after his aunt had woken him. He gulped down the burnt, dry toast and drank down his small glass of juice, barely enough to keep him until dinner that night, when he would drag tired bottom to the dinner table. He had been so tired that he had barely been able to do any more of his summer homework. The only good thing about it was that he hadn't had a single dream about Cedric or Voldemort. Though his thoughts did tend to dwell there during the day when he was working, no matter how hard that he tried to keep his mind from going there.

He left the house and his aunt watched him walk all the way to Mrs. Figg's house, which was on the corner of the street two streets over from where the Dursleys lived. Harry had the urge to run away and not come back, but he didn't have any of his belongings and he knew that his aunt was watching him go. He didn't even need to turn around to confirm it. He just could feel it. 

He made it to Mrs. Figg's house with five minutes to spare. He knocked quietly on the door, not wanting to wake her neighbors. He heard the familiar clunk of her cane inside of the house. The door opened and a woman in her early sixties, with salt and pepper hair pulled back into a tight bun and blue eyes that were level with Harry's green ones, stood aside to let him in. As Harry walked past Mrs. Figg, he wrinkled his nose in disgust as the smell of cabbage assaulted it.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter."

"Good morning, Ma'am."

She brought him into the kitchen and began to put out the cleaning supplies that he would be using that day. As she was putting out a cleaner, she noticed a grimace on his face that he instantly tried to cover up by looking away out the window. 

She didn't usually converse with the boy, as his aunt had told her that he was an irresponsible lay about with no respect for authority, and she couldn't abide by that kind of behavior. The strange thing of it was that she had never witnessed that kind of behavior from the young teenager. She thought that he conducted himself incredibly well. She decided that now was as good a time as any to break the silence.

"So, young man, how are you? You look a little pale, in my opinion."

Harry turned his face back to Mrs. Figg. He looked at her in the eyes, which seemed to pierce straight through to his very soul. He was a little surprised that she was talking to him as if he were a person. The only time that she had communicated to him before was when she wanted him to do something. He was sure that his surprise was evident on his face. But he dropped his gaze to the floor and said quietly, yet clearly, "I'm fine. Thank you, Ma'am, for asking."

"Are you sure? You look a little scrawny to me. What did you have for breakfast this morning?"

"I had a piece of toast and a glass of juice, Ma'am."

"What?! Why didn't you have a well rounded breakfast?"

"I-I woke up late, I guess."

"You could have eaten your usual breakfast and then come. It's okay if you're a little late. You should never skimp on your breakfast, young man. It is the most important meal of the day."

Harry glanced up and gave her a small, sad smile before returning his eyes to the floor. "That's okay. That _was_ my usual breakfast when I am here at home. I didn't need to take any extra time." He concentrated hard on not showing Mrs. Figg that he was in pain. He kept his eyes on the floor so that she wouldn't see the pain that was evident behind his green pupils.

Mrs. Figg was starting to get a bad feeling, like Mrs. Dursley had not been entirely truthful with her about the boy. She had told Mrs. Figg that Harry always had a good amount of food and that he never appreciated it. Her eyes narrowed at the boy standing in front of her, with his eyes downcast. She wondered what else that Mrs. Dursley had told her about the boy was untrue. She knew that there was something about this boy that suddenly made her feel the need to protect him. 

At that very moment she wished that she had her sister, Arabella's, magical abilities, especially the one's that could tell her what was going on without asking. It was the first time that she had admitted that to herself. She had not spoken to her sister in years, due in part to the fact that she was a squib. She did not want to be in a world where she was an outcast. So she had chosen to turn her back on the magical world almost 40 years ago. She didn't look back. She hadn't even attended her own parents' funeral, something that she now deeply regretted. 

She knew that the boy that she was looking at had lost his family and not by choice. She on the other hand had made the choice to lose the ties to her family. She made the decision right at that moment to reestablish the bond with her sister. Perhaps then Arabella could give her some insight on the situation. The problem was how to find her…. 

As she watched the boy a little longer she notice that he was trying hard to hide a wince. Her heart instantly went out to the boy. "Harry? Why don't you sit for a little bit before you get to work." She limped over to the table and pulled out a chair for him. He again glanced up and smiled sadly at her muttering words of thanks, before his eyes returned to the floor yet again. She had seen enough of his eyes to see the pain that resided there. And she wasn't sure how much of it was physical and how much of it was emotional. 

He didn't know why Mrs. Figg was being so nice to him, but he didn't think that his legs would support him for very much longer, so he took her up on her offer. Harry sat down as gingerly as possible. His eyes rested on the hands in his lap. Suddenly Mrs. Figg's phone rang and she excused herself so that she could answer it. But before she left the room she told him to make himself comfortable.

Harry put his head down on the table and wrapped his arms about his head. Tears came to his eyes as his misery came to the front of his mind. He shut his eyes tight as he fought back the tears. He swallowed hard against the growing lump in his throat. He took some deep breaths to try and calm his emotions.

When Mrs. Figg left the kitchen to answer the phone, she never had expected who would be on the other side of the line. "Hello?"

"Hello, sis."

Mrs. Figg almost dropped the phone in shock. "Arabella? I was just thinking about you!"

"I know. Remember we are twins after all."

"Yes…. How long have you known how to contact me?"

"I've always known, but not in the way that you may think."

"Huh?"

"Your husband was the twin of my husband. They were separated at birth and they found each other shortly after you two got together."

"Oh. Why did you choose now to contact me?"

"Because I felt you cry out for some answers that you thought only I could help you with. But I don't know what the questions are. So I thought I would call you and find out what I could help you with. And to try to reestablish my relationship with you." Arabella was quiet for a short time before she said quietly, "I've really missed you."

"I've missed you, too. Arabella, I'm so sorry that I lost touch with you," she gushed.

"That's okay. I forgive you."

"But if you knew where I was…. Why didn't you contact me sooner?"

"Because I respected your silence and knew that when the time was right I would hear from you again. But there will be plenty of time to talk about us and catch up later. I feel that the issue that you need to talk about is pressing. So, what can I help you with?"

"Well, I have been trying to figure out what's going on with a young man that has been working for me. I know that he…."

"Amelia, I think I've got some idea of what this is about from your thoughts. Now all I really need to know is the boy's name."

"Oh, yes. His name is Harry Potter." There was a faint pop and the phone receiver on the other end clunked to the floor. "Arabella?"

A voice came from behind her, "Yes." Amelia Figg swung around.

Standing in front of her was the mirror image of herself. "You scared me…. How did you just…?" 

"That's part of the magic that you turned your back on, Amelia." Arabella looked down at Amelia's leg. "As is this…" Arabella took out her wand and pointed it at Amelia's leg, muttering something that Amelia couldn't quite hear. Amelia saw a light emit from the end of the wand and hit her leg. Instantly the pain disappeared. 

"Wow. I wish I weren't a squib."

"You're not really you just need to learn everything again. You have a much greater apt for it now that you haven't used it for a while. Now where is the boy?"

"How come you are so anxious to start helping him?"

"Because if this is the boy that I believe it is, you have one of the most powerful young wizards in your house right now."

"What?!"

"Shh. Now where is he?"

Amelia realizing that the phone was still in her hand, put it down and leaned the cane on the wall since she no longer needed it. She led her sister to the kitchen where Harry now was sleeping with his head on the table. 

Arabella, who still had her wand in her hand, said, "Wingardium Leviosa." Harry's limp, sleeping body lifted from the chair and floated over onto the couch in the living room. Arabella stood over the sleeping boy for a few moments and muttered something else that Amelia couldn't quite hear. But the pained look that had been upon the boy's face, left him, and was replaced with a peaceful look of sleep.

Arabella ushered her sister into the kitchen and they talked about what she had found out. Everything that Arabella told Amelia confirmed her worst fears, that the boy was being mistreated at home. She also found out the reason why Petunia had insisted on having the money that Harry earned go directly to her. Amelia was so angry that she put her fist through her kitchen table. When she looked questioningly at what had just happened, Arabella explained that it was her magic that had made her so strong.

Amelia smiled. Arabella looked thoughtful and said, "Good. Now I just need to teach you how to use it. We will need all of the help that we can get in protecting Harry this year."

"What do you mean you need help in 'protecting Harry'? What does he need protecting from?"

"You really have been out of the loop for a long time, haven't you?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with…."

"Amelia, do you realize who Harry is?"

"Petunia's nephew?" Amelia shrugged.

Arabella chuckled, "Seriously though, do you remember the really strong Dark Wizard that was starting to emerge around the time that we were at Hogwarts?"

Amelia shuddered. "How could I forget? That man haunts my dreams to this day, especially since he had vowed to kill all of the people whom he considered to be unworthy to do magic."

"Harry there," pointing at Harry, "at the age of one defeated that wizard. He is the Boy-Who-Lived. And I do know that somewhere in your mind you do recognize that title."

"Yes…. Yes, I do! And he is treated so awfully by his relatives? How can they not see who he is and how important he is to the world? How can they treat him so badly?"

"You don't know the half of it. Unfortunately that Dark Wizard has found a way to return, using Harry's blood. But I'm getting ahead of myself…." Arabella proceeded to tell Amelia what Harry's life had been like, especially over the past few years, since he had gone to Hogwarts. But also about the life he had before he went to Hogwarts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

"Someone's coming," said a voice suddenly.

****

Oh no! Not again, thought Harry from somewhere outside his dreams.

__

Squinting tensely through the dark, Harry and Cedric, holding their wands out, watched a figure drawing near, walking steadily toward them between the graves in a churchyard. The figure's face was not visible, but from the way it was walking, one could tell that it was carrying something. The figure was short and wearing a hooded cloak pulled up over its head to obscure its face. As the figure approached the thing that it held in its arms became more visible. It looked like it could be a baby.

Harry and Cedric glanced tensely at each other then turned back to watch the approaching figure. It stopped about six feet from the boys, beside a towering marble headstone. For a few moments the three figures just looked at each other. Then without warning Harry dropped his wand, covered his face, and dropped to the ground and rolled around trying to get the pain to stop in his head.

A cold, high, maniacal voice said, "Kill the spare."

A second voice also high, but screechy said, "Avada Kedavra!"

A blast of green light emitted from the extended arm of the man standing next to the marble headstone. Cedric fell the ground, spread eagle, with a heavy thump, very obviously dead. A scream was heard….

The scream turned into a laughter that Harry recognized. It was Voldemort. He was going after his parents again. His mother was saying something to him, something that she had told him to remember… something that he would be able to access when the time was right….

****

No! No! Not this again. Mum. Noooooo! Harry thought.

__

Harry's mother turned around as the door was blown open. The last words, that Harry heard his mother say to him, were, "I love you Harry. Always remember what I told you…." Harry's mother turned and started begging for Harry's life. She screamed and landed on the floor next to his one-year-old self, her green eyes fixed open. He remembered looking up from the green eyes of his mother into those cold red eyes of Voldemort, as he turned his wand on Harry. He was screaming….

As Arabella and Amelia had begun to finish their talk, they started hearing noises coming from the living room. They shared a look and went into the room where Harry lay sleeping. When they had left Harry he had seemed to be at such peace, but now he was thrashing and writhing on the couch. Words tumbled from his lips, "Oh no! Not again…. No! No! Not this again. Mum. Noooooo!" The two women had heard enough. They started toward Harry when a bloodcurdling scream emitted from the boy. They shook him.

Harry opened his eyes. He tried to push himself back not really recognizing for a moment where he was. He felt there was a threat of imminent danger. He looked around the room and suddenly realized where he was. Through the pain of his scar burning, he thought he was seeing double vision. He tried to sit up, but was pushed down with two pairs of hands. Harry shut his eyes and listened to the words that reached his ringing ears.

"I'll go get some tea," said Amelia.

"No, he knows you, Amelia, not me. So you should stay. I'll manage."

The dull pain of the scar stayed with him. He opened his eyes and saw Mrs. Figg, smiling sadly down at him. He tried to smile back, but the tears entered his eyes again. He closed his eyes quickly, trying to hide his embarrassment at falling asleep and having a dream that would make him cry in front of the woman.

"Harry? It's okay. I understand everything now. _Everything_…"

After a long silence, Harry opened his eyes and saw the woman who had been part of his torment for the past week. "How could you possibly know what I've been through, Mrs. Figg?"

Suddenly another voice that sounded almost identical to Mrs. Figg's voice spoke, "Because I filled her in…." The owner of the second voice came into view. She put down a tray with a silver tea set on it. "Come on. Up you get. This tea should do you good."

Harry looked back and forth between the two women, wondering if he was once again seeing double. "No, Harry, you're not seeing double," said the woman that had just come into view. He sat up. "How did I get in here?" he muttered after realizing that he was now in the living room.

"I levitated you onto the couch and made you more comfortable, when I saw that you were asleep," said Arabella as she handed him a cup of tea. "Drink up now." 

Harry sipped the tea and instantly felt a warmth come over him, as Arabella began to explain away some of his confusion. "I am Mrs. Figg's identical twin sister, Arabella. I'm part of the world that you are, I'm sure, eager to get back to, despite the adversity that you know that you will find there when you get back. I'm a witch, where my sister here was a squib, in the past, but now she's not really. Though that is a story for another time. All that you really need to know is that, because she thought it would be easier to live in the Muggle world, she virtually isolated herself from the Wizarding world. So she did not know truly who you are, until now. I've filled her in on what I know."

"Oh," said Harry, very obviously still confused about something. _How could Mrs. Figg be a squib and Arabella be a proper witch?_ he thought. Then he remembered about how Parvarti and Padma Patil, twin sisters in Harry's year, where in different houses. Parvarti was in his own house, Gryffindor, and Padma was in Ravenclaw. He figured that since they were so different, then it was possible for Mrs. Figg and Arabella to be very different too.

Harry looked at Mrs. Figg, giving her the only smile he could through his painful emotions, a small sad one. She had tears shining in her eyes. "Harry, can you ever forgive me for treating you so harshly, especially in this past week?"

Harry nodded. Mrs. Figg pulled him into a warm hug that reminded him of the hug that he had gotten from Mrs. Weasley just after the third task almost a month and a half ago. He felt all of the emotions that had been haunting his dreams plow through to the front of his mind. He heard an unseemly cry that he realized was, surprisingly, coming from him. Mrs. Figg held him tight and rocked him. "That's right. Let it all out."

Thoughts of misplaced guilt ran through his mind. Arabella came over to him and rubbed his back, muttering soothing words in his ear. They sat like that for about a half an hour before Harry broke the embrace. He tried to hide his puffy face from Mrs. Figg. "I- I'm so sorry, Mrs. Figg. I-I should be cleaning for you. I didn't mean to dump all of my feelings on you…." Though he had to admit to himself he did feel a lot better.

"Harry, don't you ever apologize for your feelings. You have obviously needed to do that for quite some time. And if I'm correct, and I think I am, you have never been able to do that with your aunt. Right?"

Harry nodded, eyes still downcast.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes the best thing to do is just cry like that. I know that this may be hard for you to believe, but it can give you strength." Harry looked up and saw the earnest in Mrs. Figg's eyes. For the first time in almost a month and a half he truly smiled and felt that it was genuine.

"Thank you, Mrs. Figg and Mrs.…?" He looked questioningly at Arabella.

"Oh, just call me Arabella, Harry. Because I too am Mrs. Figg and it would just be confusing to have you call us both that."

"Okay, Arabella. But sometime you're going to have to explain to me how you are twins and both Mrs. Figgs." Arabella and Amelia laughed. Harry soon joined in.

"Mrs. Figg…?" said Harry as his laughter subsided.

"Harry, if you're going to call my sister by her name, you might as well call me by mine. I'm Amelia."

"Okay. Amelia… erm… what is it that you need me to do today? I mean I know that half the day is gone, but I did come here to work and…"

"Oh, that's okay. You don't have to do any more work here, young man." Harry's face fell. "Why the long face? You are still going to come here everyday."

"But… but…. If I don't work then how will I earn the money that you're paying my aunt for me to work here?"

"I think you have done quite enough work in your life, thank you. You are now going to earn your keep by coming here to have fun."

"But what about your leg? I thought you needed to have help around here."

"I'll manage. Besides my wonderful sister here helped the old bones to get better." She stood up and walked around the room, showing that there was no longer a problem with her leg. Harry broke into a huge smile. He was very glad to see that Amelia was feeling better. 

They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Then Amelia asked, "Well, Harry, knowing what you had for breakfast this morning, I'm sure that you are very hungry right now. So what would you like to eat?"

As soon as food was mentioned, Harry's stomach rumbled in response to Amelia's statement. Harry had a funny look on his face, "Erm… Anything but cooked cabbage…?" said Harry hopefully with a sheepish smile on his face, expecting Mrs. Figg to be upset.

At first she seemed like she might get cross with him, but she was not upset at all. Instead she laughed heartily at the comment. Arabella soon joined in. Harry looked on to the scene with confusion, but began to chuckle to after a few moments. "I'm sorry, Harry. I guess what you need to understand about that smell is that every now and then I… well…. I guess that even with my back turned on your world I was still trying to keep up with it slightly. The only thing that I had been even remotely good at was Potions. Every now and then I've tried to see if I could design a potion to help increase my abilities and strength as a witch. Because I knew that someday I wanted to reunite with my sister. And I guess I really should thank you because you were the one to make that happen. But….

"The reason that you were smelling cabbage was that it was a key ingredient in the potion. I guess I forgot what kind of stench that could leave behind. I must say that I have grown a bit immune to the smell, as I have worked on the potion often enough to do so." Amelia chuckled and smiled docilely. Harry laughed, now understanding what was so funny before.

Amelia went to the kitchen. Arabella and Harry followed. Together they made a nice lunch, which they took out to the back garden and ate. As they ate, they talked about a lot of things in the wizarding world, as Amelia wanted to catch up with everything that she had missed over the years. The conversation soon turned to the subject that Amelia wanted to hear about most: Quidditch. It had been her favorite thing back when she had attended Hogwarts. It was the one thing that Amelia was sad to leave behind, because none of the Muggle sports even came close to matching the intensity and excitement of Quidditch in her view.

Quidditch was the sport played by wizards, where there are two teams of seven players on broomsticks. Two of each team were Beaters that hit the wild balls, called Bludgers, that flew straight at people, trying to knock them off their brooms. Three each were Chasers that threw the largest ball, the Quaffle, back and forth until they got it to the opponents end of the field where they tried to get it past the Keeper guarding three large hoops high above the ground. The last player was the one that needed to be the fastest and most flexible, the Seeker. The Seeker had the job of trying to find the Snitch, a tiny golden ball with wings that flew fast and was, in the words of Harry's old team captain, Oliver Wood, "Damn near impossible to see". Harry, himself, was the Seeker of the Gryffindor house team.

They talked for a long time, until the light started to fade in the sky. "Well, Harry it looks as though it is time for you to go home." Harry groaned quietly. "But just remember you have to come back tomorrow. My sister and I have much to discuss. So come on. Off you go. We expect to see you here bright and early tomorrow morning, young man," said Amelia as she walked him to her door. She gave him a final warm hug before he left.

Harry started walking back the short distance to the house where he was forced to dwell. As he walked, he suddenly got a prickly feeling on the back of his neck. He stopped and listened to the sounds around him. The only sounds that emerged were the rustle of the leaves in the trees by a gentle wind. Harry resumed his walk, but the sensation turned from a prickle to a shiver. He stopped again, turning around this time. 

He glanced around, high and low, knowing that if someone were following him they could be any shape or size. When he didn't see anything in the receding light, he made a run for it, hoping that whatever was following him wouldn't be able to keep up with his quick Quidditch reflexes. When he got to the door of the house that he had been staying in for the past month, he opened the door quickly and slammed it behind him. 

Harry leaned against the door to catch his breath and the dull pain in his scar increased slightly. He rubbed his scar as his uncle emerged from the kitchen. 

"What is the meaning of slamming the door, boy?" he said with his eyes narrowing dangerously at him. "You know better than that. We work hard to keep this house over your head. We do not need you to bring it down around us. Now go to your room. You will not be getting any dinner tonight, or any night for that matter, until you can learn to respect what we have given you!"

As Uncle Vernon was yelling at Harry, with Dudley looking on and laughing in the background of course, the pain in Harry's scar had increased steadily. His uncle's yelling wasn't helping the pain any either. By the time that Uncle Vernon had finished yelling the pain was so unbearable that it almost brought Harry to his knees. Dudley, of course, mistook the pained look on Harry's face, thinking that Harry was about to cry. So he laughed harder and came out from the kitchen, openly taunting him.

"What's a matter, Harry? Are you gonna cry now that you have been banished to your room without any supper?"

Uncle Vernon smirked at the comment realizing for the first time the look on Harry's face. "I told you to go to your room, boy. I suggest that you go there now."

The words of both his uncle and his cousin were swirling in his head with the dizzying pain that was making his head feel like it was about to split open. He cursed himself for having this moment of weakness in front of his relatives, as they could not possibly understand what was going on with him. As he tried to turn and climb the stairs, _wanting _to get away to the privacy of his room, he felt the darkness at the edges of his consciousness close in on him.

As Uncle Vernon and Dudley stood there laughing at the look on Harry's face, thinking him to burst into tears at any moment, Aunt Petunia peered around the corner to see what her son and husband were laughing at. She watched as the anguished face of her horrible nephew turned toward the stairs. She too laughed, as he stumbled part way up the stairs. He got halfway up the stairs, his hand went to the center of his forehead, where his scar sat, and collapsed. Petunia and Vernon stopped laughing, realizing that he had passed out. Dudley stopped laughing shortly after that, owing to the fact that he no longer heard the laughter of his parents anymore. Vernon and Petunia shared a look, as Dudley looked back and forth between them.

"What?" asked Dudley.

"Vernon…."

"I know, Petunia. I guess we had better inform that Dumblydorf fellow at…."

"Yes," Petunia hissed. "You take him up and I'll write that _letter_," she sneered.

"What… what letter? What's going on? Mummy, tell me!"

"We will explain it later, Dudders. But right now Mummy and Daddy have something we need to do. Oh, and Vernon… don't forget to bring that-that _thing,_" she said disgusted. 

Vernon nodded and pulled his thin and light nephew the rest of the way up the stairs and into his room, bumping his head on every stair. He picked him up and dropped him onto his bed. Vernon went over to the cage that sat on Harry's bureau. He was trying to figure out what to do and how to pick it up with out really having to touch the thing. 

Hedwig opened her eyes and shrieked. She was not too happy with the eyes that were peering back at her. She had known that the person that owned those eyes held nothing but contempt for her in the past. She looked right at the man on the other side of the bars. He opened the cage door and started reaching in the cage, cautiously. She went to peck at him and he withdrew his hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry had gotten part of the way up the stairs before his entire world was spinning out of control and felt as if he were falling. He couldn't see anything, but he was trying unsuccessfully to move. He was trying to clear his head enough to think about where he was and what was going on, but the pain in his head was excruciating. He remembered clutching his head before hitting something hard. He thought that he could hear voices, but he couldn't make out the words. 

He tried to open his eyes to see where the voices were coming from, but it felt like someone had glued his eyes shut. He felt himself moving and then falling. The next thing he remembered was hearing Hedwig screech and squawk as if in terrible trouble. He tried again to open his eyes, this time succeeding. He groaned out loud at the awful pain that still remained in his scar.

Uncle Vernon hearing the groan and struggling to try to get the owl out of the cage without being bitten pulled his arm out of the cage and slammed it shut. Then he turned on his nephew, who was sitting up slowly and clutching at the scar on his head. "Would you please help me get this bloody bird out of its cage?"

"Why?" croaked Harry.

"Because that bizarre Dumblderm fellow, the headmaster to your freakish school, told me to write to him if you were to ever collapse in front of me, due to pain in your ruddy scar. He told me to use this-this blasted animal to send him the message."

"His name is Dumbledore and I can write to him for you…"

"No! I was told to do it and if I don't then he might come here and ask why I didn't. No, no. I will write it. No, you will not write him. I would rather use your ruddy bird then have to see that-that wayward man face to face." Uncle Vernon seemed to pale slightly and shudder at the prospect of seeing the very powerful man.

Harry got up gingerly and stumbled over to the cage. He soothed Hedwig and said, "I know that you don't like this, girl. But please do this for me…." He patted down her ruffled up feathers. She slowly calmed down and hopped out of the cage. "Go downstairs with my Uncle Vernon now, girl. It'll be all right. Just be patient with them. Take the message they give you to Dumbledore." She hooted, nipped his finger lovingly, and spread her wings and soared out of the room, giving Uncle Vernon what appeared to be an evil look. As she left the room there was a screech that obviously emitted from Dudley, who had sneaked up to just outside Harry's room just to see if he could find out anything that was going on.

That was the last sound that Harry heard, having used all of his remaining strength to help out his owl. Vernon again put his nephew onto the bed and went back downstairs. When Vernon entered the kitchen, Hedwig was sitting on the top of the chair as far away from Petunia as possible. Petunia and Hedwig were staring at each other. 

Petunia got up without taking her eyes off of the bird. "Vernon, here. Give this to that foul creature so that it can leave." Hedwig's feathers puffed irritably. Again her eyes seem to be narrowing dangerously, this time at Petunia. Vernon took the letter and tried handing it to Hedwig from, at least, an arm's length away from her. 

Hedwig stuck out her foot. Vernon saw a string that was hanging off of her foot. He cautiously approached and, staying at an arm's length away, tied the letter to Hedwig's ankle. As soon as the letter was tied to her, she took flight. 

Vernon yelled, "Quick, Petunia! Open a bloody window so that the thing can leave!"

Outside on the edge of the street sat a rat, unnoticed by the passing owl. The rat watched, cowering in the shadow, as the bird flew right by him and notice that it had something tied to its foot. _Now if I could just figure out where that bird came from…_thought the rat, for this was no ordinary rat. He was in fact an Animagus, a wizard that could transform into an animal at will. Normally Animagi were registered with the Ministry of Magic, owing to the fact that it was very difficult and dangerous magic that could go horribly wrong. But this particular Animagus was not registered and even more difficult to track.

This was very unfortunate because he was one of the main followers of the Dark Lord himself. In fact he had facilitated Voldemort's return just about over a month and half ago. If you had looked on its right paw before the night of Voldemort's return, you would have seen one of its toes was missing. Now however there was a funny looking metallic paw sitting at the end of his right front paw that clicked quietly when it hit the ground. This was one Peter Pettigrew, or Wormtail to those who knew him well. 

Wormtail transformed back into the short little man with a pointed nose and beady eyes, before he walked up Privet Drive. He didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, but he knew that this was the area that Potter must live in. This was near the place where Malfoy and Crabbe had been discussing the planned raid on the Weasley's home, which had been unsuccessful due to Potter's warning to them. 

He had seen Potter through the window before the Weasley children had disappeared. The raid had failed and he had paid dearly for that. He was determined to find where Potter dwelt, so that he could get back into his Lord's good graces. Lucius Malfoy had not even gotten so much as a scratch when he reported that Potter must have overheard them talking and that was how the Weasley's knew about their raid. 

The Dark Lord had actually praised Malfoy for getting Potter where he could possibly have gotten his hands on the boy again. But he punished Wormtail for not getting there soon enough to capture Harry Potter and the others. 

Wormtail bitterly looked up and down the street. He walked it several times to see if anything could give him a sign of where Potter lived, but to no avail. He wished at that moment that he had been faster earlier when he was following Potter home, but Potter seemed to know that he was there watching him. 

He made the decision right there and then that he would continue to prowl the street every night until he found something… anything to signify where Potter lived.


	3. Birthday Wishes

__

Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review!

**__**

CHAPTER THREE – BIRTHDAY WISHES

Every evening since it happened in front of the Dursleys, Harry had found that his scar had burned dully, almost constantly. He could feel that Voldemort was searching for him. He felt watched and followed every time he left the house to go to Amelia's house and back. He had to admit, though, that it was perhaps the best two weeks in the summer that he had ever had. 

The days were passed with good food and conversation. And there were times that Amelia just let him lay out in the yard in the warm sun. He often secretly brought his homework to her house and did it out on the patio in the garden, which Amelia liked very much, because she was able to see what they were teaching and what she still knew. She practiced things with her old wand, which just sparked and fizzled. Harry thought about it and asked where she had gotten her wand.

"Oh, it was my grandmother's old wand. At the time my mother couldn't afford to buy things for both of us, so I volunteered to take hand-me-downs, to save my mother from having to buy as both new things. My grandmother had recently died so my mother gave me all of her old things… at least the ones that I could use."

"What kind of witch was she?"

"Not a very good one according to my mother. Why?"

"Because maybe it's the wand and not you. Why don't you go to Diagon Alley and get a new wand? Maybe if you have the right wand it will give you more confidence…. That might be why your best subject, too, was one of the only ones that didn't require a wand."

"You are amazing, Harry. Do you know that? You have just shown wisdom beyond your years with a suggestion like that."

"Well, it is partly selfish actually. I don't know how I'm going to get to Diagon Alley this year. I know I could use the Knight Bus if I had to, but…"

"The Knight Bus?"

"Yeah, it's a triple-decker bus that has beds in it, instead of seats. Wizards can call it when they are in a bind and need a way to get out of a place, by shooting sparks in the air…"

"Oh yeah, I think I remember something about it. It's a kind of violent shade of purple. Isn't it?"

"Yeah. I had to use it during the summer between my second and third years at Hogwarts." Amelia gave him a funny, confused look. "Long story…. I'll tell you about it some other time…. Erm, anyway, as I was saying…. My friends who I usually go with to Diagon Alley are… having problems to say the least. I'm not sure how they are even going to get to Hogwarts this year, let alone the Alley. I'm actually quite worried about them. I haven't heard from them in weeks."

Amelia put her hand upon Harry's shoulder. "I'm sure that everything is all right, Harry. Don't worry." She smiled at him. He smiled back.

Harry went home that evening feeling a little better about things. He had been troubled about how he would get to Diagon Alley and he had been really worried about his friends, especially Hermione. He wondered how she had taken the news about her parents. But he had not known what to say to her, so had not written to her yet. He felt bad. He must have started a hundred letters to her, but none of them sounded right to him.

His thoughts of his friend were soon cut off by the familiar feeling of wariness. He ran back to his uncle's house and went inside. He ran to his room, not wanting to face his family at that moment. As he calmed the jittery feeling and fought against the dull burn that he had almost gotten used to by now, he pulled out a piece of parchment to see if he could write to Hermione, while it was still fairly fresh in his mind.

Hermione,

I can't tell you the number of times that I tried to start this letter. I know that I should have been the first one to write to you, because I truly know what you are going through. But I found myself not really knowing what to say. Even now as I write this, I'm thinking I should just tear it up. But I just wanted to say that I am truly sorry about what happened, and if you ever just need to talk about it, I'm here.

Your friend,

Harry

__

There, that would just have to do, thought Harry. He put the letter into an envelope and sealed it. He turned to put it onto Hedwig's leg and realized that she had not returned from her last flight. It had been nearly two weeks since she had left to bring Dumbledore the letter from his uncle. He was not entirely sure, but he felt that in some way she was angry with him for making her do that.

Harry went back down to the kitchen where everyone was sitting around the small television watching some stupid show. He sat down quietly and ate his scanty dinner. Ever since he had collapsed his aunt, uncle, and cousin acted almost entirely as if he didn't exist, which was fine with him. The only time that he was acknowledged by anyone was when Dudley decided that Harry needed to be teased for it. Harry refused to react to his cousin's taunting, though. So Dudley would just go back to pretending that Harry did not exist. When he finished he got up and went back to his room.

He pulled out his photo album and looked through the pictures. His eyes began to droop and before he knew it he fell asleep on the book. 

A few hours later he thought he could hear some squawking. He lifted his head and realized that he was still at his desk. He looked up at his window and saw seven owls. He got up and let them in. A small owl flew in first and circled his head five times before landing on the bed and hopping up and down until Harry untied the package from his legs. The little owl flew up and circled around the ceiling. 

This little owl Harry recognized as Pigwidgeon, or Pig for short. This was Ron's owl. "Calm down, Pig." Pig hooted as he continued to circle the ceiling. "Yes, I'm sure that everyone's proud of you. Now please calm down." But Pig continued for about ten minutes, while Harry untied the rest of the packages from the other owls. The four unknown owls in the middle all took off after being relieved of their load.

When he came to Hedwig, he ran over to the desk and grabbed his letter to Hermione. "Hedwig, I know that you just got back, but would you mind delivering this to Hermione for me?" Hedwig hooted softly and stuck her leg out for Harry to tie the letter to. She nipped his fingers affectionately and took off out the window when Harry was done. 

The last bird that Harry came to was one he didn't expect to see. It had obviously keeled over. Its large gray body lay motionless on his bed. It was Errol, the Weasley's other owl, who was so old that Harry wasn't sure if he had actually died once he hit Harry's bed or if he was just doing his usual trick of passing out after a flight. Harry began to untie the envelope that was attached to Errol's legs when the bird stirred. Harry brought Errol to Hedwig's cage and he hooted what seemed like a meek thank you to Harry before collapsing to the bottom of her cage.

Harry return to his bed and was questioning why he had gotten all of these packages until he looked at his clock and realized that it was 2am on July 31st, his birthday. He grabbed the first thing he had untied, realizing that the owl that had delivered it had just landed in the cage next to Errol. Harry shook his head as the little owl bounced up and down on the perch in Hedwig's cage. He opened the letter that had Ron's untidy scrawl on it.

__

Harry, 

I haven't written sooner because I have been very busy helping rebuild the Burrow. I've wanted to thank you for risking your life to warn us about the raid that You-Know-Who had planned on our home and most of all his plan to take Ginny and me. But if you ever do that again I'll kill you myself!! 

There is no need for you to risk your life for measly, little old me. Your life is worth more than that to risk being caught by You-Know-Who. So don't worry about me. Anyway, mate, Happy Birthday. I'm sorry that I couldn't get anything for you this year, but I hope you understand why. There's a letter in this envelope from my parents as well. Oh, and let me know when you are going to be in Diagon Alley. I still have to get books for school after all.

Ron

Harry looked at the letter in his hands. He was shocked to say the least. Ron's letter had seemed really cold, but he guessed that he understood why he was angry. He supposed he would be too, if it happed to him. He went to his desk. He was glad that he had talked with Amelia that day about going to Diagon Alley. He wrote a quick note back to Ron that told him that he would be going to Diagon Alley in the last week of the term, and that he hoped to see him there. He almost apologized for saving Ron's life, but he knew that he wasn't sorry for doing that. He was just sorry for what had happened.

Harry went back to the envelope and took out the other letter that had been tucked further down in it. It was obvious that Mrs. Weasley had written it after Ron had written his.

Harry Dear,

Don't listen to Ron's babble in his letter. He's been in awe of the fact that you would risk your life for him ever since you left. Not one day has gone by where he hasn't said something about how much he admires you and your courage. But that is not why I am writing to you. 

Our family has been staying in the Leaky Caldron for the time that the repairs have been going on, though we have come home everyday to work on the Burrow. So anytime that you are coming to Diagon Alley we should be around. The last week of the vacation we will just be resting up before the term starts, so we should be there the whole time. We would be honored if you would stay at the Leaky Caldron for the last week of the summer with us. We would all go over to King's Cross together on the first of September. 

I have written a small note to your uncle and aunt to let them know what would be going on. Hope to see you there, dear. Thank you again for all that you have done for us. After all we can replace our things, but I can't replace my children.

Affectionately yours,

Molly Weasley. 

Harry almost jumped up and down in excitement. He couldn't wait. He took the second page of her letter, which was the note to his aunt and uncle and put it on his bureau, so that he could hand it to them later that morning. He returned to his bed and opened the next package. On top was a card that Harry recognized as one from Hagrid, the Gamekeeper of Hogwarts and one of Harry's closest adult friends. It was in fact Hagrid who saved Harry from his relatives and helped him get to Hogwarts for the very first time. Their adventures since then had been quite incredible. 

Harry was most curious about what Dumbledore had asked him to do at the end of the last year. Dumbledore said that he had a special assignment for Hagrid during the summer. Harry was anxious to know how it was going. He tore open the card and found it cryptic at best.

Harry,

Happy birthday!

Hope all is well where you are.

Don't know when I'll be done with the new assignment that Dumbledore has trusted me with. Great man, Dumbledore!

Hope to see you soon.

All the best,

Hagrid

Harry cautiously looked into the box that held Hagrid's gift. Hagrid did not have a very good track record for gifts. In Harry's third year he had sent Harry a biting book, which turned out later was used in the class that Hagrid's taught, The Care of Magical Creatures. 

Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a rock cake that Hagrid had obviously made and a slip of paper. He opened it up and a smaller piece of paper fell out. Harry looked at the smaller piece of paper first, which was obviously a note.

Sorry I couldn't do more than this, this year, Harry, but I hope that you will understand being that I'm away and all. The rock cakes will not be up to my usual standard because of that. I hope you like it.

Hagrid

Harry looked at the big piece of paper and chuckled. It was a gift that Harry thought that only Hagrid or Ron's older brother, Charlie, would appreciate. It was a certificate to an adopted wild dragon. The certificate explained that it was to help keep the dragon sanctuaries open. These sanctuaries were for protecting the wild dragons from the general public. 

Charlie Weasley worked at a dragon sanctuary, which was not necessarily the safest or easiest job, but he seem to love it. He had always done well with magical creatures, in fact Care of Magical creatures was his best subject when he had been at Hogwarts. And because he had been good friends with Hagrid, a dragon sanctuary sounded like a really interesting place to work. Hagrid had always filled Charlie's head with ideas about how wonderful dragons really were.

Hagrid had always wanted a dragon. He tended to think that some of the biggest and most dangerous animals were lovable and cuddly. Harry remembered how in his first year at Hogwarts, Hagrid had told him how much he really wanted a dragon as a pet. Something that Voldemort's minion, Quirrell, had found out and exploited. 

As a cloaked stranger, Quirrell had followed Hagrid into Hog's Head, the pub in the completely magical town near Hogwarts called Hogsmeade, and waited for the right moment. Hagrid had never hidden the fact that he enjoyed a bit of Mulled Mead. Quirrell as the stranger kept buying Hagrid drinks and got him talking about how to get past the vicious giant three headed dog that guarded a trap door that led to something that could have brought Voldemort back to full strength, the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone. 

At first even the drinks weren't enough to get Hagrid to reveal anything with gentle prodding from Quirrell, which he had some how suspected. So he had revealed the fact that he had had a dragon's egg that he was willing to play cards with Hagrid for. This was just the nudge that Hagrid needed. Quirrell had told Hagrid that he didn't want to give the egg to just anyone, he had to be able to handle the dragon while taking good care of it at the same time. That got Hagrid talking about the creatures that were in his care. And that was when Hagrid inadvertently revealed the information to the one person who shouldn't have found out how get past the dog. 

Harry, Hermione, and Ron had had to help get the dragon out of the castle before anyone found out about it. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had had to call on Charlie Weasley to take the dragon away to the sanctuary that he worked at. Something that kept Hagrid depressed for weeks, knowing he was so close to fulfilling his dream. Though there was a brief moment in the beginning of Harry's last year when Hagrid was able to be in close proximity to dragons once again. 

The first task of the Tri-wizard's Tournament had been to try and get past a dragon to get a golden egg that held a clue to the second task. The dragons had been on the grounds of Hogwarts for a week before the task. It had in fact been Hagrid that told Harry to meet him so that he could see what the first task was all about. 

Hagrid did this because Harry had been the fourth name that came out of the Goblet of Fire, the supposed impartial judge that was supposed to determine who the champions of the three schools, none of whom could be under the age of sixteen. Someone had put Harry's name in under the guise of a fourth school and had put a spell on the goblet to get it to spit out the name of the fourth champion, Harry. Hagrid had felt that it was only fair to give Harry the heads up.

Harry thought it was ironic at best that Hagrid had adopted a Hungarian Horntail for him. That was the dragon that Harry had had to try to get past. He shuddered involuntarily at the thought of how close that he had come to getting cooked by the beast. Harry just rolled his eyes and shook his head saying, "Only you, Hagrid, would think that I would appreciate something like this." 

He decided to see what the rock cakes were like, since Hagrid had said that they wouldn't be like they usually were. Harry took a small piece out. He was surprised at how soft they were for a change. He cautiously bit into it. "Wow, Hagrid. This is wicked." Harry grabbed a bigger piece and munched on it as he opened the next package on his bed. It had a handwriting that Harry thought was familiar, but couldn't quite place. 

It was from the two Mrs. Figgs. There was a note on the top of the package that merely said, "Thank you for helping us become a family again. Happy Birthday." He opened the package and found a smaller package wrapped in a newspaper clipping from the Daily Prophet. He was about to rip the paper off of the package when he noticed the words You-Know-Who on the parchment. He carefully took the clipping off of the package and spread it out to look at it. There was a black and white picture of the minister above the article standing at a podium. His usual pinstriped cloak was hanging over his small, portly frame. His bowler hat was sitting on top of the podium so that he could barely see over it. What could be seen in his face above all was fear and defiance. Gone was the usual jovial look of the man, though he did seem to be trying to fake the old look.

****

Ministry Still Denies the Return of You-Know-Who

Minister Cornelius Fudge, today, held a public press conference where he vehemently denied the rumors circulating that You-Know-Who has somehow miraculously come back to life. 

Minister Fudge states, "There is no reason to believe that these recent events are anything more than mere hoaxes, copycat threats such as what was seen at the Quidditch World Cup last year. That incident turned out to be nothing but a ruse intended to distract the Ministry Officials from the real crime of robbery. Ludo Bagman, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, had been carrying a large amount of gold for the Ministry and he had been attacked."

However when asked about the whereabouts of the said Mr. Bagman for his comments, the Minister could provide no answers. Apparently the man had disappeared at the end of May just after the completion of the Tri-wizard Tournament at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

Which leaves this reporter asking many questions, not the least of which is: With all the strange occurrences and deaths of Muggles and Wizards and Witches that were from "un-pure" families over the past few months, how can the Minister still deny the possibility that the rumors of You-Know-Who's return are true? – Special Assignments Reporter, Rita Skeeter. 

__

Wow, that was actually tame for Rita. I guess she finally did get her comeuppance with Hermione, thought Harry as he chuckled at the thought of Rita being locked up in a glass jar. His thoughts turned to the horrible articles she had written during the last year about Hagrid and Harry and the other champions of the tournament. She had written one particularly awful article near the end of the Tri-wizard Tournament that had made Fudge doubt that Harry was capable of telling the truth about Voldemort's return. 

Rita had seemed to be able to able to pick out pieces of conversations that were extremely personal and spoken when there were no others around. Harry thought that somehow she had been able to bug them with listening devices, which of course Hermione had instantly corrected them stating that any Muggle device could not be used on the grounds of the school. However it did give her an idea. 

Hermione had found out that Rita Skeeter was an unregistered Animagus in the shape of a beetle. So they truly had been "bugged" not by Muggle equipment, but rather by the woman herself. She then trapped her in a glass bottle and threatened to expose her if she didn't leave Harry and his friends alone. It seemed so far that she had been true to her word.

Harry looked down into his hand and realized that he still held the small box that had been surrounded by the article. He opened the box slowly and found two keys. Each had a label on it with a number. A little note was on the back of one of the labels. _"For when we go to Diagon Alley," _it read. Harry figured that they must be keys to vaults in Gringotts, a wizard's bank in Diagon Alley. He closed the box and set it aside. 

He picked up the piece of rock cake again and took another bite while he turned his attention to the next package. It was from someone he least expected to get something from, Remus Lupin. Lupin had been his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in his third year. He was also a werewolf, and though many people feared werewolves, Harry did not fear him. He had helped Harry tremendously that year, to overcome his fear of Dementors, sightless soul-sucking fiends, by giving him extra lessons to perform the only defense against them. Not to mention he had been one of his father's best friends. Even so, Harry wondered why he would be getting a package from him.

Then Harry remembered that Dumbledore had told his godfather to lay low with Lupin for a while. His godfather, Sirius, a convict who performed a near impossible escape from Azkaban, the terrifying wizard prison where Dementors guarded, in order to protect Harry in his third year from Wormtail, who at the time was acting as Ron's pet rat Scabbers.

Sirius had been falsely accused of betraying Harry's parents. But Harry had found out differently and had helped Sirius escape a fate worse than death, receiving the Dementor's Kiss which was where the soul of a person was completely suck out of their body through their mouth by the Dementor. Sirius had been on the run ever since. 

After the third task of the tournament last year, though, his godfather had risked coming to his side. Harry remembered that Sirius, too, just as Hagrid, had been sent on an important mission, by Dumbledore, to gather up all of the "old gang". _Now what were their names again?_ Harry tried to recall. Those first few days after what had happened to him with Voldemort were still just sketchy at best. But he thought that he remembered three names. Remus Lupin of course, Mundungus Fletcher and…. 

Harry gasped to himself when he realized that the last person on that list had been a woman that had been helping him and visiting him off and on for the past two weeks, Arabella Figg. He briefly wondered why he hadn't realized that before and why Sirius would have had to contact her. 

He then turned his attention back to the package on the bed. Harry excitedly opened the package quickly and found that there were two presents and a note in the package. Harry picked up the note first. 

Dear Harry,

Happy Birthday! Enclosed you will find two gifts. It wasdecided that since you have a tendency to get yourself into trouble by not following the rules, that one of these gifts would be given to you for your own protection. Please don't feel that this is a license to do whatever you wish. It should be used only in extreme emergency, because it takes a long time to recharge. The other present is something that I put together and thought that you would appreciate. By the way, Snuffles says hello. 

Stay safe Harry.

Yours truly,

Remus Lupin 

Harry smiled at the reference to his godfather as Snuffles, as that was what Sirius had asked Harry to call him that last year when they talked about him around others. Snuffles is what Harry called his alter ego. 

Sirius, too, was an unregistered Animagus. He had become one back when he, Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Harry's dad, James, were at Hogwarts. They were a foursome. James and Sirius were the most talented of their years. They had figure out that Lupin was a werewolf and wanted to accompany him during changes, but it was too dangerous to do so as humans. So they took three years and taught themselves, as well as Peter, how to become Animagi, but they never registered because they felt that they could get in trouble for becoming Animagi without proper supervision. Which truly was unfortunate, since Wormtail had become an ardent follower of Voldemort.

Harry pulled out the boxes. One large box had Lupin written on it. The other smaller, long, thin box had Snuffles written on it. He opened the one from Lupin first, being extremely curious about what he could have put together for him. It was an album, a collage of sorts. There were letters and pictures of his parents when they had been at Hogwarts. Near the end were bits of his father's notes on how to become an Animagus and some of his other school notes. Some of the pages looked very worn, indeed. Some were ripped or scorched slightly on the edges, but still very readable. On the last page was a little message from Lupin. "Some of these I had. Some I got from the ruined house that your parents had called home before they died. From the time that I had seen you in your third year, I've been putting this together for you. I'm sorry that some of the pages are not perfect, but I thought if you could have even a little of your parent's history you would appreciate it. Lupin." Tears entered Harry's eyes. Of all the gifts so far it was the one that he knew meant the most to him. He quickly got off of his bed and put it in under the loose floorboards under his bed. 

He picked up the gift from Snuffles. He opened the box. In it was another news clipping from the Daily Prophet. This one was about a sighting of Peter Pettigrew. 

****

Peter Pettigrew Seen?

Early today a former Potions Professor of Hogwarts, Mundungus Fletcher, was travelling through London when he claims to have seen one Peter Pettigrew. Fletcher claims to have known Pettigrew from when he was one of his students.

Pettigrew is best known for his confrontation with Sirius Black after Black's betrayal of the Potters almost fourteen years ago. Pettigrew had cornered Black, who then, as it is well known, cursed the man blowing apart the street and killing Pettigrew and twelve Muggles in the process. It is widely known that the only part that was found of the man after he was attacked by Black, was a single finger. 

Fletcher claims that that the man had a missing right hand, having instead a metal hand in its stead. Several witnesses in the surrounding area were able to confirm seeing a man with a metal hand, though they could not confirm the man's identity. This leaves this reporter asking many questions. 

For instance, if Pettigrew is in fact not dead, then why would he have not shown himself to help put the murderous Black away completely? Or why wouldn't he have come out of hiding when he had heard that Black was convicted? Is there some truth to the rumor that it was not in fact Black that was You-Know-Who's follower, but Pettigrew instead? – Special Assignment Reporter, Rita Skeeter. 

Harry's heart leapt. Could this mean that the community at large might actually start to accept that Sirius was in fact innocent of his crimes? Harry had to admit he was starting to like what Rita Skeeter was writing because this was the second article that she had written that seemed to be more in Harry's favor.

Harry was about to set aside the article when he noticed that there was a note on the other side of the paper.

Harry,

Happy Birthday! If you put this next to the Marauder's Map, which I know from Remus that you now own, it will tell you how to use it. But as Remus has told you in his note, this can only be used in an emergency. So please use it wisely. You should keep it and the Map with you at all times this year with Voldemort on the loose. I hope all is well with you and tell Hermione that I am sorry to hear about her parents when you see her.

Love your godfather,

Sirius.

Harry then looked in the box again. It was a quill made from, surprisingly, a white snowy owl feather. In fact it almost looked like Hedwig's feather. He looked at it questionably. But shrugged and decided to put it away with the rest of his things. He guessed he would just find out what the pen did when he got back to school and could activate the map again. The Marauder's Map had been given to Harry in his third year by Ron's older troublemaker twin brothers, Fred and George. They had used the map many a time to sneak out of their common room to the kitchens or even out of the castle. 

Harry had wanted to go to Hogsmeade, the small Wizarding community right near Hogwarts and being a third year he could have gone had he had permission from a guardian, but his uncle had not given it. So Fred and George made the ultimate sacrifice and had given the map to Harry, who used it and almost got caught. 

Harry had found out later that year that Sirius, Peter, Lupin, and his father had in fact, written the map. So he knew that anything that one of them would give him for the map would be interesting, to say the least. 

Harry glanced at his clock. It was already 3am, so he sped through the rest of the gifts. The next owl had brought Harry's Hogwarts letter, telling him what he would need for the coming year. He opened it and glanced quickly over the list of books he would need. He set the letter aside and noticed that there was also a little box that had come with the letter. It had on it the loopy scrawl that Harry recognized as Dumbledore's handwriting. 

He opened the box and instantly his scar stopped hurting. He pulled out a small pin in the shape of a Phoenix. "Wow," said Harry in awe. It was made out of several small rubies. Harry did not want anything to happen to it so he decided to put it back in the box. 

The instant he closed the box, though, the pain in Harry's scar returned. Harry stopped and opened the box again. Again the pain disappeared. He closed it and opened it several times, each time with the same result. He decided that he would keep the box open next to his bed.

He moved onto the final two things on his bed. One was the package that Hedwig had brought from Hermione. Harry was surprised, but not really hurt to find no letter in the package from her. He figured that she had not really figured out what to say to him either. What Harry found in the package made him smile though. It was a book, not that a getting a book made him happy, but knowing Hermione he expected to get something of the sort. The book was titled, _Strategies for the Game of Quidditch._ He opened the book to flip through it. On the first page was written the words, "_Just in case. Hermione._"

He set the book down on the bed and popped the rest of the piece of rock cake into his mouth. He grabbed the final letter. It was from Fred and George Weasley. He tore it open and read it.

Dear Harry,

As a partner in our future business, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, we thought we should inform you that half of the thousand Galleons that you gave us, was placed secretly into our parents' vault so that they could rebuild our home. But the remaining five hundred Galleons will be used for our future joke shop, save the few Galleons that we will need to use to keep our promise to you in relation to our 'ikle Ronniekins. 

Thank you again for your support.

Fred and George Weasley.

Harry had to laugh, but was also pleasantly surprised. The thousand Galleons, which he had given to the twins, were what he had won from completing the Tri-wizard tournament. He had told the twins that he would need some things to laugh about. But he was glad that it had also helped his friends' family to rebuild their home.

Harry gathered together all of the things that remained on his bed and put them under the boards. He climbed into bed and went to sleep.


	4. Diagon Alley

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Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! Thank you for your comments and compliments, Tim and Lilly!!! I am so glad you like it!!

**__**

CHAPTER FOUR – DIAGON ALLEY

The last three weeks before Harry was to meet up with the Weasleys went quickly. Harry had never had such a good summer at the Dursley's. Though the feeling of being watched and followed when he was out of the house had never faded. Petunia was skeptical about letting Harry go with Mrs. Figg, not because she was concerned about him, but because she was concerned that he would act out. Petunia had tea with Mrs. Figg on the last day before Harry was to leave. Mrs. Figg made Harry appear to be working that day, just to keep up appearances to Harry's Aunt, but Harry didn't mind.

"Are you sure, Amelia? Vernon and I can always take him next week. I really don't want to saddle you with such a rotten boy," said Harry's aunt silkily. She put her hand up next to her mouth and leaned in as if to say something that she didn't want Harry to hear, who was raking out Amelia's garden just a few feet away, "I wouldn't want you to be hurt by him."

Amelia smiled sweetly, but her eyes had a fire that Petunia chose not to see. "No, I've got some shopping to do in London. If you say that Mr. Potter's warden from St. Brutus's is going to be there to get him early, because of his need for extra hard labor, then why not just let me take him. Now what was his warden's name again?"

"Weasel, I think."

"Okay."

"I'll have him pack his bags tonight and you can pick him up tomorrow bright and early…"

"Nonsense. I won't hear of that. He will be packed tonight and come here to sleep. I just wouldn't feel right waking you at the ungodly hour of four in the morning to get him ready to go."

"Amelia, do you realize what you are saying? He is not safe. He could rob you blind overnight. Or worse he could harm you while you sleep."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. He and I have this… arrangement where he does what I tell him or else…." Amelia had said the last part of her statement through gritted teeth. Petunia thought that she did that for Harry's benefit, when in fact it was more that Amelia despised having to say the words. "Besides, the room that I will have him stay in has boarded up windows and a lock on the door."

This seemed to satisfy Aunt Petunia. "Fine. I'll have him come home with me right away to pack and I will have him back here within the hour."

"Good. That way I can get the most work out of him."

"I wouldn't recommend giving him too much for dinner though, unless he completes the tasks that you want him to."

"I agree." Amelia grabbed her cane and stood up. She limped with Petunia to the door. Harry just stood there and waited for his signal. "Come boy!" Amelia yelled. Harry sprinted to her side. 

"You must tell me how you get him to do that," muttered Petunia to Amelia before she walked out of the house with Harry. Petunia drove them back to the house and as she explained her discussion with Amelia to Vernon, Harry ran upstairs and collected all of his things. He threw everything into his trunk except for Hedwig's cage. He dragged his trunk out to the car and put it in before Petunia was finished explaining everything to Vernon. 

Harry stood by the door waiting. Dudley, who had overheard some of the conversation between his mother and father, came over to Harry and said, "So, you were finally whipped into shape by someone. He, he. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to see that."

"That can _be arranged_," muttered Harry under his breath at his cousin. Dudley's eyes widened and he ran into the kitchen clutching his bottom, not sure if Harry was telling the truth, but not want to find out either. Harry had to hold back a laugh, not wanting to alert his aunt and uncle about what had just happened.

Shortly there after Petunia and Vernon left the kitchen and came out to where Harry was standing. "Mind your manners at Mrs. Figg's house, boy. I don't want to hear anything about her being harmed in any way. Or I will find a way to take you out of that freakish school of yours and find a school like St. Brutus's, only much worse than that, to send you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

"You had also better be very convincing to her that that-that _man_ is your warden!!" spat Uncle Vernon with a look on his face as if her were tasting something terrible.

"Don't worry about that. I have already sent my owl ahead to let Mr. Weasley know that he was going to have to act the part," Harry lied.

"Well then, Petunia, I will return shortly. Let's go, boy."

When they reached Amelia's house again, Harry jumped out and pulled out all of his things. Amelia was waiting for Harry at the door. Vernon conversed with Amelia while Harry took his trunk and Hedwig's cage to the guestroom. When he returned his uncle was about to leave. He gave Harry one final look of loathing and warning before leaving the house.

Harry and Amelia enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and evening. 

"Amelia, thank you so much for getting me out of there a night early."

"Your welcome."

"But… you weren't serious about leaving at 4am. Were you?"

Amelia laughed, "Not at all. But I figured that it would be the only way to convince your aunt to let you stay here. No, we'll be leaving at five…." Amelia laughed when Harry's eyes widened with surprise. "I'm just kidding. We'll leave at eight tomorrow, by floo powder. My sister added my fireplace to the network just last week…"

Eight the next morning, Harry had everything ready and waiting by the fireplace. He was feeling a little nervous. He had never like floo powder as a means of travel, but he knew that if he were going to get to Diagon Alley quickly that he was definitely going to suck it up. 

Amelia came down after Harry. If anything she looked more nervous than Harry, but mixed in with the nervousness was excitement. If Harry hadn't known that she was nearly 60 years old, he would have mistaken her as a first year student about to be sorted at Hogwarts with that look.

"What's wrong, Amelia?"

"Nothing really. I'm just a bit nervous. I've never traveled by floo powder before."

"Oh. Well there's not much to it. Just keep your elbows tucked in and your eyes shut. Don't fidget because you could fall out. And don't get nervous and step out too early. Above all speak clearly when you step into the flame," said Harry echoing the advice that the Weasleys had given him just three years prior. "Oh, and just one more piece of advice take a deep breath and hold it before you step into the flame. You wouldn't want to get a mouth full of ash so that you can't speak clearly." He added the last bit due to his own experience from the first time that he used the floo.

Amelia smiled nervously at Harry. "Okay and how am I supposed to remember all of that?"

Harry laughed. "I know it may seem a little overwhelming, but if I can do it, anyone can."

Amelia gave him a smile that said that she appreciated his attempts to make her feel better, even if it hadn't worked.

"Now, where are we going?"

"Well, my sister said that the Leaky Caldron was best, so that you could drop your things and join your friends before heading over to Diagon Alley."

"Okay, but what about you?"

"Me? Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"But I was kind of hoping to be there when Mr. Ollivander fitted you for your new wand."

"Oh, don't worry, Harry, you're not going to get rid of me that easily…. Besides Arabella is going to meet me there as well."

"Well then, I guess we had best be off then."

"I agree. You go first."

Harry nodded. He threw a bit of floo powder into the fire, took a deep breath, dragged his trunk and Hedwig's cage into the fire, and said very loudly and clearly, "The Leaky Caldron!" He held on tight to his things with his elbows tucked in as the breakneck ride began. He began to feel the usual dizziness just as he fell forward out of the fireplace onto the floor next to his trunk in the Leaky Caldron. He looked up and saw five people with flaming red hair all staring down at him smiling. 

Mrs. Weasley helped him up and brushed him off then pulled him into a tight hug. Fred and George took his things up to the room that Ron was staying in. Ron looked at Harry half-smiling. When Harry was able to escape Mrs. Weasley's tight hug, the flame in the fireplace turned green and Amelia popped out and landed on the floor with her legs in the air.

Mr. Weasley helped her up out of her very compromising position. He shook her hand and said, "Amelia Figg, I presume."

Amelia nodded fearing to speak. She did seem to be a little green around the gills. Harry sympathized with her. He recognized the look that must have been on his face when he got up after his first ride. He smiled at her sympathetically. She returned a weak smile.

Mrs. Weasley pulled out her clothes brush and swept the two of them off. Then she suggested that once Arabella got there that they head over to Diagon Alley. At that very moment, Arabella appeared with a faint pop.

Harry was surprised to see that with her was….

"Hermione!" both Ron and Harry yelled at once.

The two of them ran over to the girl with bushy, hard to manage, light brown hair. She gave them a weak smile and hugged them both individually; something that Ron was not quite sure how to handle at first. He gently patted her back unsure if he should put his arms around her or not. His face was almost the same shade as his hair. Just at that moment Fred and George returned from dropping Harry's things upstairs. They looked at each other and smirked.

When at last Hermione broke apart from Ron, she blushed too. Harry glanced around and noticed two people were missing. Trying to cover up his friends' embarrassment, he said, "Where's Ginny and Percy?"

"Percy has his own flat here in London now and is at work. Ginny should be on her way down, if George told her that you had arrived, like I asked him too," said Mrs. Weasley.

"You didn't ask me, Mum. You asked Fred," said George seriously.

Mrs. Weasley folded her arms and raised her eyebrows at the twins.

"No, really, Mum, you did," said Fred in the same serious tone that his brother had used.

"I think that you two have used that trick on me enough now. George, did you tell her or not?" asked Mrs. Weasley to George.

"Can't fool you any more, can we, Mum?" said George with a sly smirk. She shook her head. "Yes. We told her. I think she might just be freshening up," he said glancing at Harry.

Just at that moment she came bouncing down the stairs behind the twins. She looked at Harry and quickly glanced down at the floor, face almost as red as her hair. 

Harry looked at her, as if for the first time noticing that she was actually quite pretty. He swallowed hard realizing he was thinking this in a room that held three of her older brothers, including his own best friend. Not to mention that her parents were there, as well. He turned quickly and headed toward the door to the back of the pub, hiding a blush.

"Well, we should get going," he said, trying to change the fact that everyone in the room was staring at him. Everyone agreed and followed him out. As they waited for the wall to open, they discussed what was going to happen that day. They decided that once they had visited Gringotts Bank they would go their separate ways. Harry wanted to be there when Amelia got her new wand. As they walked, Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged stories about their summer. Ron and Hermione were happy that Amelia had helped Harry have a good time. They decided that they too wanted to go with Harry and Amelia to Ollivanders.

When they finally reached Gringotts, Hermione headed toward one of the unoccupied goblin tellers. The goblins ran the bank. They were not the friendliest of creatures, but very crafty. Hermione looked unusually nervous. Though she had not said anything to any of them they knew that she would like to have their support so they stayed with her. She swallowed hard and explained to the goblin that she wanted to open an account with Gringotts.

The goblin looked up slowly as if annoyed by the intrusion. "Why do you not have an account here currently, Miss?"

"Because I am Muggle born." 

"Where are your guardians? You cannot open an account without a guardian's signature, if you are under seventeen."

"Erm…"

Arabella spoke up. "I have been given the authority by Albus Dumbledore to sign for Miss Granger."

The goblin now turned his head very slowly to Arabella, "And who are you in relation to Miss Granger?"

"I am a trusted friend of the family…. That is all you need to know."

"And where are her parents?"

"Deceased. And I would appreciate if you would not bring that up again, as it is a fresh wound," said Arabella with a fury that could match a dragon. The goblin diminished a bit. 

"Very well." The goblin teller looked around and saw a transport goblin that Harry recognized as Griphook, the one who had taken him to his vault for the very first time a little over five years prior, standing waiting in the corner.

"Griphook." The little goblin waddled over. "Please, escort Miss Granger and Mrs. Figg to an available vault and have them sign the appropriate papers." They followed Griphook to one of the doors that lead off of the hall. The rest of them stepped up to the counter and made their requests.

Hermione and Arabella were back before they had completed their separate vault requests, as there were five of them. They all decided to go together. Hermione had two bags of jingling coins that she held onto tight while they went on their roller coaster ride to the several different vaults.

Both Harry and Hermione looked very uncomfortable when they noticed how little was in the Weasley vault. Mrs. Weasley felt into the very dark corners and pushed every last coin she could find into her worn leather moneybags. They then went to Amelia's vault, which had not been touched since she left the wizarding world. There was quite a pile of gold in it. She filled her moneybags and they went onto the three vaults for Harry. 

He quickly filled his money sacks, trying to block the contents of the vault. He felt very uncomfortable at the fact that he had so much more money than the Weasleys. Griphook then lead them to the next vault. He opened it up and turned over the key to Amelia. When the door opened, he stood there in awe. There, in a single beam of light on a small, high altar, sat a ring. Harry walked over to it with both Amelia and Arabella close behind. He looked at the ring. It was very simple with one large polished and rounded ruby stone. There was a "GG" engraved into the side of the stone.

Harry said, "I can't accept this. This is far too valuable." 

"Harry, you have to. This was given to me by your father, for safekeeping. He told me to wait until the right time to give it back to you. And that time is right now."

Harry picked up the ring and placed it on his finger without further question. It seemed too large at first, but it seemed almost to shrink to fit his finger. He shuddered a bit. He looked at the ring being unsure about it at first. There was something about this ring…. 

He stepped out of the vault with Amelia and Arabella. Walking slightly ahead of the others with Amelia, Harry asked, "So what can I expect in the other vault if this is in the first?"

"Nothing that spectacular, I'm afraid. The other vault can be transferred to your own vault. It is basically all of the money that you earned this summer."

"What? I thought you gave that to my aunt."

"Well, I did, but… I thought that it was only fair that you get some money too."

"But I don't need this. Surely you need this more than I…"

"Harry, I'm no spring chicken as you well know. I never was able to have children. To be honest you fill a void in my life. You are like the grandson that I will never have. This money is a gift to you, because you have done so much for me in these past two months. I feel more alive now that I ever have, and it's all thanks to you." She wrapped her arm around Harry's shoulder and gave him a squeeze. When Harry looked at her, she had tears shining in her eyes. Harry smiled. 

"Surely, though, you have a better use for this money…"

"I'm very comfortable with what I have been left from my parents. I do not need this. However, I saw that you have enough in your vault to last you for a while comfortably, as well. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can do with it whatever you wish." She gave him a meaningful look and then whispered in his ear, "You can have it transferred where ever you wish. Just give the key to Griphook and tell him where it needs to be placed."

"How much is in there?"

"Well, I had an agreement with your aunt for two hundred pounds a week so I gave you the equivalent of that. I'd say about 346 Galleons, 14 Sickles, and 18 Knuts."

When they got to the vault everyone waited outside as Harry went inside with Griphook. He looked at the small pile of money. He didn't know quite what to do at first. Then he made a decision. Even though he had saved Ron and Ginny, he still felt responsible on some level for the Burrow being destroyed. He turned, handed the key to Griphook, and quietly stated, "Please place this into the Weasleys' vault anonymously." 

"Yes, sir."

When they got back outside, they decided to meet up later at Flourish and Blotts to get their books. They went their separate ways. Harry, Ron, and Hermione went with Arabella and Amelia to Ollivanders wand shop. A young boy was walking out of the shop when they got there, obviously very pleased with his new wand. Harry had to look again. He stared at the boy momentarily. There was something familiar about the boy, but Harry was unsure what. After a few moments he realized that he had been left outside, staring after the boy. He ran inside not wanting to miss anything. But the boy wasn't far from his mind….

When they walked in Mr. Ollivander was standing at the counter putting some wands back into their boxes. Mr. Ollivander looked up as Harry joined the group. As his wide, pale eyes surveyed the group that had entered the shop, a slow smile spread across his thin lips. "Well, well, well, Mrs. Amelia Figg. I had been wondering when I would see you again."

"Again?" Harry asked quietly, as Mr. Ollivander greeted each of the rest of them by the wands that they now owned.

"I came in here with my sister when she got her wand. He had seemed very disappointed when he couldn't fit me for a wand too," Amelia whispered to Harry. 

"Oh," mouthed Harry.

"And of course, Mr. Potter – holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple. Always a pleasure to see _you_ again, Mr. Potter." Harry smiled sheepishly and nodded at Mr. Ollivander. "Yes, yes. Come, Amelia. Let me measure you." Mr. Ollivander's magical measuring tape went to work while he walked out back. He pulled out several boxes. 

As Amelia tried out several wands, Harry move over to Ron and Hermione. 

"Did you notice that boy that was leaving when we came in?"

"Yeah, what about him?" asked Ron.

"Did he seem somehow… familiar to you?"

"I'm glad that I'm not the only one to notice that," said Hermione. "Who do you think he is?"

"I'm not sure…" 

"Me either."

"Well, we'll probably see him at Hogwarts this year. So we will find out then, won't we?" said Hermione in a very superior way.

The pile of wands that were not compatible with her grew. 

Finally, he said, "Seems that you are going to be almost as tricky as Mr. Potter was… Okay, let's try this…. Oak and phoenix feather. Nine and a half inches. Sturdy but supple." Amelia waved it in the air and blue and copper sparks emitted from the wand. "Oh very good! Interesting…. You should be very pleased with this wand, Mrs. Figg." He took the wand from her hands and placed it back into the box. He wrapped it up and handed it to her. As they left the shop, they decided to go over to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. 

They sat and talked for a while. When they finished, Amelia and Arabella decided that it would best if they left, as they had other errands to run. Harry and Amelia hugged. "I'll see you next summer, Amelia," said Harry. "I hope that you find that this wand gives you better luck."

"Me, too. You take care of yourself and don't take any unnecessary risks. Do you understand me, young man?" she said in a mock harsh tone.

Harry smiled. "Amelia, thank you."

"For what?"

"For being so kind for me. I look forward to coming home next summer, just to see you. You have filled a void in me as well. You are like the grandmother I never had."

Amelia smiled, tears entering her eyes, and hugged Harry again. "Yes, well. I think that you have had enough horrible things happen in your life…. You're welcome."

Arabella smiled and said mysteriously, "Don't worry, Harry. I think you'll find that you will see her again before you know it." Harry gave her a confused look. They then said their last good byes and the two Mrs. Figgs left.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked around for a while. The boys stopped at the Quality Quidditch Supplies to look at what was new, while Hermione went onto the Apothecary.

Harry and Ron saw in the window the next new model of broomsticks. "The Lightning Blast" was rated second best behind the Firebolt. Harry smiled at the fact that he still had the best broom in the world. Ron was envious of all of the various supplies in the shop. "I am going to get on the team this year, if it the last thing that I do," he muttered under his breath. 

When Harry had had his fill of the crowded little shop, he dragged Ron out of it. They met up with Hermione in the Apothecary and got all of the supplies to replenish their Potion's Kits. Then they met up with the others at Flourish and Blotts. As soon as they had finished getting their books, Fred and George abducted Ron and brought him to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, where they kept their promise to Harry and bought Ron some nice dress robes. 

They had him try on several types and told Ron to choose which ones he liked the best. Ron settled on the deep navy blue ones that brought out his eyes. Ron was ecstatic that he was finally going to get rid of the awful second-hand maroon robes that he had ripped the frills off of. "Where did you get the money to buy these for me?"

"It was from an anonymous donation…" said Fred. When Ron's eyes grew dark with anger thinking correctly that Harry must have been the one to donate the money to the cause. George, seeing Ron's look and knew that he probably suspected Harry, through a look at Fred and came in with a sarcastic comment, "Come on, Ron. Do you really think _we _are going to tell _you_ where we got the money? You might go off and tell Mum." 

"Don't you trust me?"

George rolled his eyes and looked at Fred, again. Fred nodded. George sighed and moved in close to his brother. He spoke in a lowered tone, "We have been getting some money for our joke designs. So if you so much as breath a word of this to Mum…"

"I promise. I won't."

"Good." George and Fred then shared a look of mischief as they left the shop. "So, 'ikle Ronniekins, whose the lucky girl to see you in your new robes?" asked Fred.

"I'll bet it's Hermione," George piped in.

Ron blushed furiously.

"Oh look, 'ikle Ronniekins there's your girlfriend now. Maybe she would like to see you in the robes that you will wear to the formal with her this year."

"Oy, Hermione!" They ushered her over to them.

"No! Don't do this! Remember she just lost her parents! She doesn't know how I feel about her yet!" hissed Ron. When he realized what he had just admitted to his older brothers, he turned about ten different shades of red and slapped his forehead. Fred and George smirked at each other and laughed.

Hermione made her way over to where the twins were laughing hysterically and Ron was blushing furiously. She smiled at Ron and asked the twins what was up. The twins just doubled over with laughter and staggered away. Ron breathed a visible sigh of relief.

"What was that all about?"

"You don't want to know, Hermione, believe me…. Where's Harry?"

"Erm, he went back to the Leaky Cauldron with your parents. I volunteered to come and find you."

"Oh." They walked in silence back to the Leaky Cauldron. There was unusual tension between them. Neither of them seemed to know what to say. 

As they reached the small courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione tripped and knocked over a trash can. Ron caught her and set her on her feet again. They were standing close. Ron couldn't see anything but her sad, brown eyes. He realized suddenly that he was staring at her. He smiled slightly and nervously. He stepped back from her and dropped his gaze to the ground. "A-are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Suddenly the door to the pub flew open and they both jumped further apart. They both walked quickly and quietly into the pub, their faces both red with embarrassment. Fred and George, who had just returned were standing there as they came in. Ron knew what they were thinking, it was written all over their faces. _Great,_ he thought,_ I'll never live this down. And I didn't even do anything!_

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry walked into his and Ron's room. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Hedwig was there, sitting on his bed. He patted her and she nipped his hand affectionately. Hedwig flew to her cage and curled up on the perch, her head in her wing. Harry threw himself down on his bed and picked up his _Strategies for the Game of Quidditch _book and began reading it.

Ron didn't stop until he reached his room. He threw himself onto his bed without even noticing that Harry was already in the room and laying on his own bed. "I can't believe I just did that!" Ron ranted quietly out loud. "What was I thinking? I can't tell her how I feel, I just can't. But I want to. Will she laugh at me? Does she suspect anything? Oh, why am I so stupid…. I've gotta do it." Ron suddenly flew up off the bed and ran from the room still without noticing Harry lying there. Harry shook his head and chuckled.

A few moments later there was a knock on the door. Harry opened the door and there stood Hermione. Harry said, "If you're looking for Ron, he's just left."

"No, actually I'm here to see you." Harry stepped aside and let her in. Once the door closed Hermione looked at Harry and with tears in her eyes she asked, "Harry, were you serious about this?" She pulled the letter that he had written to her on his birthday out of her pocket. "Were you serious that I could come and talk to you whenever I needed to?"

Harry nodded. She threw herself into his arms and began sobbing into his shoulder, catching him off guard. If it hadn't been for his quick Quidditch reflexes, he would have been pushed over. Through her sobs Hermione was obviously talking, too, but Harry did not understand a single word that she said. Harry was sure that she had not been able to do this with anyone since her parents had died, so he just held her and rocked her, rubbing her back. He said some soothing words to help to calm her. They stayed like that for a long time. 

After a while some of her words began to make more sense. Harry caught a few here and there. "Thanks…. Should have gone to Ron…. Didn't think he'd understand…. I'm sorry to bother you…"

"You're not a bother, Hermione. I thought you might feel more comfortable talking to some one who understands, for the most part what you are going through…."

Hermione hiccoughed, trying to calm herself. Harry just continued to hold her. Soon she felt that all of her emotions were spent. 

Ron, after searching for Hermione for a while and having no success finding her returned to his room. He heard Harry's voice inside the room. He seemed to be trying to sooth someone. Ron opened the door quietly and peered into the room. What he saw broke his heart. He saw what he thought was Harry and Hermione dancing in the middle of the room. Ron shut the door quietly and ran quickly from the area.

As he ran he thought bitterly, _Figures second to my best friend **again**_. _The famous Harry Potter wins again. I concede. I give up. You always will get what you want Harry._ Before he knew it he was in the little courtyard behind the pub again. His temper flared and took over. He kicked the trashcans around and punched the brick wall, which he instantly regretted. Then trying to shake the pain out of his hand, he sat in the corner and let his sadness at the fact that Hermione would never be his girlfriend, overcome him. He cried silently, feeling like his heart had been ripped from his chest and thrown down onto the Muggle streets below, where it was run over by every car that passed. 

After a while he totally let go of the possibility that he would ever get a chance with Hermione. First it was Viktor Krum, the seeker of the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team that had participated in the Tri-wizard Tournament for the Durmstrang school. Viktor had asked Hermione to the ball last year. Ron hadn't minded much then, but now that his feelings had grown…. 

And what was worse was, now it was Harry, his best mate. He made the decision that being her friend would be better than nothing at all. But it would take him a while to be totally okay with it on Harry's part. He felt somewhat betrayed by Harry, though he had never actually _told_ Harry that he liked Hermione more than just as friends. He felt that Harry must know on some level that Ron liked Hermione.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione broke away from Harry, finally. "Thank you, Harry," she croaked, her eyes and face all puffy. "I really needed to do that. I haven't cried since…. I was at Viktor's house for less than a day when I had found out. Thank you for telling Mr. Weasley where to find me too…. Viktor was nice and all, but he just had no clue what I was going through. He decided that he and I wouldn't work out because I wouldn't even talk to him about it. I came home and stayed with my aunt after being there for only three days. And I haven't heard anything from him since."

"Hermione, I'm so sorry that this happened to you…." Hermione looked quickly at Harry. She looked into his brilliant green eyes. They were starting to fill with tears. Hermione could see guilt there that she had never expected to see.

"Harry, please tell me you don't blame yourself for this." 

Harry pursed his lips and looked to the floor. Trying to hide and blink back the tears of guilt that he felt welling up in his eyes.

"Harry, you had nothing to do with this."

"But, Hermione, you're my friend. Voldemort attacked your family because of that…."

"So, that's Voldemort's fault. Not yours. Don't ever blame yourself for this. You didn't do it." Harry continued to look at the floor trying to hide the tear that had just escaped his eye and fallen down his cheek. Hermione lifted his face and wiped away the tear. "Really." 

Harry smiled sadly at her. 

Just then Ron opened the door. Hermione's hand dropped to her lap. She got up quickly and walked over to Ron. "Sorry. I-I know that this is your room. I'll leave."

"No, you don't have to leave like that. I just came to tell you that dinner is going to be in a few minutes." Ron turned on his heel and left the room slamming the door.

Hermione and Harry shared a confused look. Then some how at the same moment it seemed to dawn on them what he might have thought he had seen. Hermione pushed that thought away though, thinking that she had made her feelings clear to Ron earlier, even though she had never actually _told_ him. Harry had a bad feeling. He thought that Ron probably thought that they were sharing an intimate moment. They looked at each other, neither suspecting what the other was thinking, before they quickly followed after Ron.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the week Ron was very cold to both Harry and Hermione, more so to Harry than to Hermione. Hermione spent her time that week either burying her nose in a book or talking to Harry. She felt that she needed to be near someone who would understand where she was coming from. Ron kept walking in on them all over the place. Harry could see his friend getting frustrated. But every time that Hermione would go to try to talk to Ron, he would say he was busy and leave the room. This hurt Hermione even more.

Harry had considered asking for his own room to let his friend brood in peace, but had overheard Tom, the innkeeper, telling a person who wanted to stay there that there were no more rooms. So Harry stuck it out, knowing that somehow Ron must feel that Hermione liked him and that he, Ron, was being noble by staying out of their way. 

On the last day of their vacation, Harry and Hermione went to Florean Fortescue's, while Ron sulked in his room. Hermione told Harry how upset that she was about how Ron was treating her. She had confided a lot in Harry in that week and had talked about all sorts of things, including how she truly felt about Ron.

"I think the other reason why Viktor and I never work was because I realized, while I was visiting him, where my heart truly lies." She paused and looked at Harry, who somehow seemed to show that he knew what was coming next. There was a twinkle in his eye that made her realize that he had known about it all along. "How long have you known?"

"Known what?" he asked innocently.

"Harry Potter, do not pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about."

"Oh, come on, Hermione. It's so obvious how you feel about him. I've known for quite some time, actually."

"Is it really that obvious?"

"Yes. The only two who have seemed not to take notice, up until this point, are you and Ron. I'm surprised that Rita Skeeter didn't even pick up on it to write about it last year."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, _please_, don't bring up that horrible woman. I'm just glad to be rid of her meddlesome ways."

"Yes, well, have you read any of her recent articles? They have been quite good actually. What did you say to her to make her change so much? I mean, I know that you threatened to expose her but what else did you say?"

A sly, mischievous smile slowly spread over Hermione's face. "Oh, I just told her that if she could keep her nose clean and do legitimate stories, as well as rescind all of the negative articles that she wrote last year about all of us, that I would, of course, keep her secret. And…."

"And what?"

"That I would give her the opportunity of a lifetime. Well, two opportunities, actually."

"What opportunities?" asked Harry with eyes wide and stomach churning.

"All will be revealed in good time," said Hermione with an air of intrigue.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll just have to wait and see…." She flashed a winning smile and quickly changed the subject, "Now back to Ron and me…. Why do you think that he's acting like such a prat?"

Harry rolled his eyes, knowing he wasn't going to get anything more out of her about Rita. He smiled slyly as he thought of a way to give a bit of angst back to her. "Honestly, Hermione, don't you _read_?" he asked throwing one of her favorite questions to ask him, back into her face.

"And what exactly do you mean by that, Harry? Because you know very well that I _do_ read," she said indignantly with a small pout. 

Harry laughed. "Come on, Hermione. Think about it. I'm not talking about reading a book, though Ron sometimes is an open one, but…. Haven't you read _the signs_ that Ron has been giving you?"

"Apparently not, if you think you know more than me."

Harry smirked, "For once in my life, Miss Granger, I can honestly say that I know more about something than you…. Now let's see if I can break it down for you, so that you can figure it out yourself." Hermione stuck her tongue out at Harry and Harry smirked. "Ron is ignoring you…. Ron is ignoring me…. Ron keeps walking in on you and me when you have needed to talk about your parents…." At each pause Harry waited to see if Hermione had picked up what he was getting at. Finally with the last phrase it seemed to hit her like a ton of bricks.

"You don't mean…"

"Uh-huh."

"He doesn't think…"

"Yep."

"You and me?"

"Dawn breaks over marble head…" Harry burst out laughing.

"Not funny, Harry," she said dangerously, narrowing her eyes at him.

When his laughter died down, Harry looked at her as seriously as he could. "Oh, come on. You mean to tell me that you didn't have an inkling as to the fact that he would suspect us?"

"Well, no… Because it's always been strictly platonic with us."

"_I_ know that. But obviously _he_ doesn't."

Hermione put her arms onto the table and dropped her head into them, speaking barely audibly, "I've made a mess with this, haven't I?"

"Mm hmm. But don't worry about it. I think I have a plan that will work when we're on the train…"


	5. Back to Hogwarts

__

Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! Thank you for your comments and compliments, Tim, Lilly, HongMing, and Manateegirl524!!! Lilly I'm so glad you liked how I put together the Harry/Hermione/Ron relationship…. more to come!!! Welcome Hong Ming! Trust me the action is just about to begin! Manateegirl524…. Wow we have something in common…. I love manatees! They are my favorite animal!!! And I'm really glad you like what I've written so far! I hope I can continue to entertain!

**__**

CHAPTER FIVE – BACK TO HOGWARTS

The next morning happened in a whirlwind of motion. Six trunks, several animal cages and baskets, and a bunch of packages got flung into three Muggle Taxis. They barely made it to the Platform 9 ¾ on time. They had to risk going through two at a time or else they weren't going to make it. Mrs. Weasley gave them all one last tight hug and handed each of them a sandwich. They quickly dragged their things off of the trolleys into the train. They just barely made it on with their things before the train started moving.

As the train sped up they searched, with their many things in hand, for an empty cabin. Fred and George saw their friend Lee Jordan and stopped to talk to him. Ron stood with his older brothers. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione pushed past the trio. Harry winked at Fred and George as he passed by them and they nodded. Each had a smirk on their face, knowing what they must do. Fred watched to see where it was that Harry, Hermione and Ginny ended up.

When they found an empty cabin they put away all of their belongings. Hermione said, "I'm going to go back and tell Ron where we are."

Harry said, "Hermione, why don't you wait here for a few minutes. Maybe he'll join us here…"

Not taking the hint that Harry was trying to give her to not get involved, she got up from the seat. "No, I'm going to help him bring his stuff here." She turned and swiftly left the room. Harry buried his head in his hands. Why did Hermione have to be so stubborn and absolutely blind when it came to Ron? Harry knew that Ron wasn't about to come to the cabin they were in, willingly. 

Hermione went back to where Ron, Fred, and George were and told Ron that there was space in the cabin where they were. Ron crossed his arms and refused to budge. "I'm fine where I am. Thank you."

Hermione frowned and walked away with tears in her eyes. She went back to the cabin and plopped down in the seat. She burst into tears and Harry immediately embraced her. He knew that this was going to happen when she left. Harry was a wee bit perturbed with Ron now, but he knew that if his plan worked Hermione would be smiling before the end of the trip.

After Hermione left, Fred and George smacked Ron upside the head at the same time. "Ron, are you an idiot?" asked Fred. "That was the girl that you have a crush on and you just blew her off. What kind of git are you?"

"I cannot be around her and Harry. It's too painful."

"What are you talking about?" asked George.

"Oh, come on. You can't tell me that you haven't seen the two of them together! They are all over each other!"

"Ron, sometimes you can be so thick."

"Why?"

"Fred is right Ron. Didn't you just see how hurt she was?"

"Really? You think so, George," said Ron with a bite of sarcasm. "Please give me a break."

"Ron, if you don't go down there right now…"

"What? What do you think you can do to me, Fred? Because there is nothing that you could do that…. Hey let go of me." George and Fred picked Ron up by the elbows and brought him down to the compartment that Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting in. He was kicking and making such a racket that he was surprised when they got the compartment and no one inside was looking out the window in the door. 

Fred and George put Ron down, when they reached the door. Looking through the window of the closed compartment door, he saw Hermione was sitting with her head on Harry's shoulder, tears falling down her cheeks. He turned to his brothers. "See?" hissed Ron. "She's with Harry." He turned back to the window and looked at the girl who had been his best friend for four years. She had really grown very beautiful over the summer. Those chocolate brown eyes and full lips, not to mention how she had begin to fill out.…

Ron gave himself a mental slap to stop thinking that way when she was so obviously now Harry's girlfriend. 

"I think you need to look again, Ron. She loves you. Look at the pain she's in, because you wouldn't come down here before."

__

I am looking at her right now. And she is so obviously with him! his mind screamed with such a ferocity that he was afraid that some how his brothers might hear what he was thinking. "Yeah, she's in pain, but she's probably crying about her parents, not me."

"I don't think so Ron, but even if she were crying about her parents, she's probably just turning to Harry for comfort… as a friend."

"But I'm her friend too. Why won't she come to me?!"

"She's tried to go to you, you dolt. You've pushed her away every time."

"But if she loves me, as you say, then why didn't she come to me first for comfort?"

"Because, you yank, we still have our parents…."

The reality of the situation finally started to sink in to Ron's head. "Oh." He walked toward the door and slid it open. When he entered the compartment, Hermione's head lifted off of Harry's shoulder. The look of surprised happiness in her eyes was enough to tell Ron that every word that his older brothers had just told him was true.

Hermione sat up, looking at Ron. Ron stood there uncomfortably. He turned to Hermione and said, "Can I talk to you for a moment? Alone?" Harry and Ginny smirked at each other knowing that Harry's plan had worked like a charm. They left and went down to the compartment where the twins were while Ron and Hermione talked. 

The moment that Harry and Ginny left, Ron fell to his knees and said to Hermione, "Can you ever forgive me for being such a blind, idiotic nitwitted git that can't see past the nose on my face? I'm so sorry for hurting you, Hermione. I'm sorry that you have had to go through what you have without my support. I love you. I know that I should have been there for you just as much, if not more than Harry. I know now why you went to him first. I understand…."

She was about to give him a hard time for making her hurt so much earlier, but then she looked into his blue eyes and got lost in the depths of the oceans of sincerity that was there. She sat there lost for a few moments. 

Ron thought that the longer she sat there looking in his eyes the more she was going to turn him down. He was getting lost in the chocolate depths of her soul. He couldn't bare it if she turned him down. He held his breath as she opened her mouth to speak…

"I forgive you, Ron. But if you ever do that to me again…." She punched him in the arm hard. He didn't want to show it, but it really hurt when she did that. "Wait a minute. Did you just tell me that you love me?"

"Y-yeah…. Yeah, I guess I did."

"Good. Because I love you, too."

"How are we going to tell Harry, though? I mean, I've seen how he looks at you…"

"And just how do you think he looks at me?"

"Well, with love, of course."

"Yeah, but it's a different kind of love, Ron. It's more like… a brotherly love."

"How do you know that it's not more than that?"

"Because, you blind, idiotic nitwitted git that can't see past the nose on your face, he was the one who set this whole thing up. He knew long before either one of us did how we felt about each other."

"Oh." Ron pouted.

"What are you pouting for?"

"Well, I guess I didn't expect you to be throwing those words back at me so soon after I said them."

"Oh, that. Well, if it makes you feel any better…. I can truly say that you are my sweet and wonderful blind, idiotic nitwitted git that can't see past the nose on your face. Mind you the emphasis is on the word _my_…"

"Really?"

"Um hmm." She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek but he turned his head at the last moment and they kissed on the lips for the first time. Hermione blushed and pulled away quickly. Ron then tenderly cupped her face and gently pulled her to him. They kissed again, gently and sweetly. Hermione felt as if she were flying.

Ron blushed and smiled goofily. "So…. Do you need to talk about anything?"

"Not right now."

"Oh," said Ron hanging his head.

"What I really need is to be held by the man of my dreams."

"Who?" Hermione hit his arm playfully and then snuggled up to him. She had not felt so happy in months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A short while later, Harry and Ginny came back to see if it would be okay to join the pair. 

"Sure," the happy couple said in unison. 

"But before we all get comfortable, shouldn't we change into our robes?" asked Hermione.

They all agreed. Ron and Harry left and waited for the girls to change and then they switched places. When everyone was settled Harry noticed something shiny on Hermione's cloak. He realized that it was a Prefect's badge.

"So, when were you going to tell us that you were made a Prefect?" asked Harry.

"You're a Prefect?" asked Ron.

"Yes, and what that means is that this year we can't break the rules like we have in the past. Especially you Harry. I will not stand idly by and watch as something happens to you. So if you put one toe out of line I'll be sure to throw the book at you, literally."

"Hermione, where did all of that come from? You've broken at least as many rules as I have…"

"Yes, but I don't have an insane Dark wizard after me, now do I?"

"She's got you there, Harry," said Ron.

"Oh, thanks a lot, you traitor. Now that she's your girlfriend, are you going to side with her more than me?" said Harry, in a mock hurt tone.

"Harry…"

"You know, Ron, it wouldn't hurt if you started buckling down either. After all we do have our O.W.L.s coming up at the end of the year."

O.W.L.s, or Ordinary Wizarding Levels, are the important exams that Hogwarts students take at the end of their fifth year. Hermione had been pushing them to start studying for them since the beginning of the last year.

"They've created a monster, by making her a prefect," Ron said indignantly to Harry.

"Oh, come on, Ron. Prefects have to be serious. They have lots of responsibility after all. I'm not going to be able to just sit around and twiddle my thumbs now. This year is going to be really hard, what with all my studying and Prefect duties. I doubt that we will be able to see much of each other…. But…."

"Hermione…"

"Yeah, Harry?"

"It's good to have you back."

"Yeah, we were getting a little worried about you there for a while," chimed in Ron smiling lopsided.

"Don't tell me you two planned to have this conversation with me." She looked back and forth between them.

"No, I just noticed that you haven't been yourself lately, but now you are," said Harry, smiling.

"Me too." 

"Oh come off it, Ron. You didn't notice anything until Harry said something five seconds ago. Admit it." She slapped his arm again.

"Okay, okay. But he's right, you know. It is good to have you back." They all smiled and started playing Exploding Snap. During their first game, the witch with the snack cart slid open their door.

"Anything off the trolley, Dears?"

They bought their usual treats and dug into them as the continued to play. Several of their friends would look in on them from time to time. They would stop the game to talk with them briefly. They had only finished their third game when the door slid open. It was one of Ginny's best friends. She wanted to go and spend time with her, so she left with her friend. 

The three that remained decided to chat for a while. But soon they just sat in silence and got lost in their own thoughts. Harry stared out the window. When he looked back he realized that Hermione and Ron were asleep in each other's arms. He smiled and returned to his own thoughts as he watched the darkening landscape change. He closed his eyes briefly resting his head against the cold window. The cold on his head felt good at first, but then he realized that it almost seemed to get colder as they went north. Or was it….

Harry's eyes flew open. He suddenly realized that the coldness was not coming from outside. He had begun to hear things in his mind. He realized that the train was slowing down. He got to his feet and drew his wand. He opened the door of the compartment and walk toward the front of the train. Everyone seemed to be asleep or in shock. Harry looked into the compartments. The people he saw he didn't recognize. He thought simply that it was because everyone was still in their street clothes instead of their school robes.

He kept walking to the front of the train. As he reached the front he saw what he expected to see, Dementors. There were five that had just gotten on the train. Harry lifted his wand and as the memories of his parents' and Cedric's death threatened to take over his mind, he grabbed a hold of the happiest thought that he could muster and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!!!"

The five Dementors that were standing there retreated quickly as a brilliant white stag emitted from the end of Harry's wand. But as soon as those were gone more replaced them. Harry was trying to fight them all off, but some how the power of his Patronus was diminishing. 

It was almost as if the Dementors were adapting to its power. He couldn't hold them off! They were approaching him. Hundreds of Dementors were filling the front of the train. Harry looked around and saw no one coming to help. He knew that he was alone. He started to back up. He wanted to run, but he knew he couldn't. He had to protect the others on the train. He kept trying his Patronus, which now seemed to have no effect on the Dementors what so ever. 

He watched in horror as four Dementors went into each of the compartments in front of him. He tried to stop them, but nothing was working. He heard screams come from each of the cabins. Some others, who knew the Patronus, were trying to use it too, but to no avail. Harry watched as the one at the front of the pack came closer and closer to him. 

Harry tried to step back but he realized that he had some how reached the back of the train. With his back against the back wall of the train, he looked to the side. Outside the window he saw Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy peering in at him. They were eager and delighted to see the predicament that he was in. Harry's scar exploded with pain. 

Finally the Dementor reached him. It put its hand out and the rotting, glistening, scabbed, grayish, slimy-looking flesh turned Harry's stomach. He felt the cold sweep over him. He suddenly felt as if he were falling into darkness as the intensity of his bad memories increased. He could hear the rattling breath of the Dementor. He felt the cold of its breath touch his face. The smell was of putrid, rotting flesh.

He felt the hand touch his shoulder. He could only imagine what was coming next. He thought that he was about to receive the Dementor's "Kiss" when the pressure of the hand on his shoulder increased. Harry decided he didn't want to be a coward. If he was going to die, he was going to look into the face of his killer, no matter how horrific it was. Harry's eyes flew open to see…

"Ron! What happened? Where are all of the Dementors?" asked Harry as he realized that he no longer had his wand in his hand. He plunged his hand into his robes and found it there. He drew it and was on his feet pointing it toward the door. He slowly stepped toward it.

Ron watched his best friend with great confusion. "Dementors? Harry, what are you on about? You fell asleep. You must have been dreaming, mate. You just let out a yell and I woke you to make sure that you were okay…."

As if to answer Ron's question about Harry being okay, there was a sudden sharp pain that passed through Harry's scar. As he brought his hand to it, he gasped at the intensity of the pain and slipped to the floor. 

"Harry, are you alright?"

"No, Ron…." After the pain diminished slightly Harry managed to climb up onto the seat. He tried to steady himself and catch his breath. "I think it was more than a dream, Ron. I think it was a warning."

"A warning? Of what?"

"The Dementors have returned to Voldemort." Ron winced at the name and shuddered at the thought that Harry could be right. "Not only that, but I think that they are stronger, too."

"Why do you say that, Harry?" asked Hermione from behind Ron, who had been quietly watching the exchange between Harry and Ron. 

Ron and Harry turned and looked at Hermione, whose eyes were wide. Harry sighed and told him about his dream. 

"Yeah, but that was just a dream, Harry. It doesn't mean that it is real," said Ron.

"I don't know, Ron. Harry has always seemed to be tapped into You-Know-Who before…"

"Oh, come on, Hermione. You've never bought into the whole premonition thing before."

"I know, but…. Harry has always seemed to know about what he was up to. What if he's right?"

Ron seemed to be at a loss for words.

Suddenly, the door slid open and the last three people that they wanted to see walked in, Draco Malfoy and his two enormous, thuggish cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. They were all smirking evilly. Crabbe and Goyle were grinding their fists into their palms as if getting ready to pummel someone. 

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Potty, Muddy, and the Weasel." Malfoy laughed at what he thought was his own cleverness. When he realized that his cronies were not laughing, he stared at them threateningly. They started guffawing stupidly. Draco then continued to laugh as well. After a few moments Draco looked at Crabbe and Goyle to silence them before he continued. "I'm surprised that you even bothered to show your face again this year, Potter. After all, _he_ is back and wants your blood. I'm surprised that he missed getting you over the summer."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other before turning angry looks onto Malfoy. Ron spoke everything that, those who had been in the room to begin with, were thinking, "You might not want to be here and saying things like that right now, Malfoy. Or else…." 

"Ooh. Is that a threat, Weasel?"

"No, it's a promise… Besides, you might just not want to broadcast where your loyalties lie right about now," said Harry, as he and Ron rose out of their seats. Draco appeared to diminish a little, as Harry raised his arm with the wand in it and Ron drew his wand, pointing it at Draco's chest. Apparently he still remembered how he, Crabbe, and Goyle had spent most of the train ride home at the end of the last year unconscious due to multiple hexes cast upon the three of them at once. 

But there were only a few uncertain moments for Draco. He pulled himself to his full height and squared his shoulders in defiance. "I'm not afraid of you and your silly little hexes. What do you think you can do to me anyway?"

"You'd be surprised," said Hermione standing up.

"Oh, the Muddy orphan speaks…" 

Ron advanced on Malfoy with his wand arm up. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU FILTHY ROTTEN…." It took both Harry and Hermione, holding him back.

"Ron. RON!" Ron stopped struggling and looked at his girlfriend. "Let me handle this." She winked at him with a twinkle in her eye. Ron and Harry knew what she was going to do then. 

"And just what do you think that a filthy, little Mudblood, such as yourself, can do to a pure blooded wizard, like me?" 

"I could give you a detention and take points from your house, but I won't if you leave now…"

"You don't have the authority to do that."

"Think again," piped in Ron.

"Oh, please, the only way that you could do that is if you were a…." Draco looked down to the crest on Hermione's robe and saw the shiny badge above it. He let out a long, hearty laugh. "You… are a prefect? That's rich." He continued to laugh. "That may give you the authority at school, but it doesn't mean that you can do it here. Besides you… don't – have – the – g_uts_!"

Now it was Hermione's turn to laugh. "That's how much you know, Malfoy. According to the _Prefect's Handbook_, the Prefect can take house points away from the moment the school year starts to the moment it ends…."

"See? I told you that you couldn't effect me."

"_But_ they can issue detentions from the moment they get onto the platform in the fall. So I would suggest that you _leave now_…"

Draco seemed to diminish, but not before trying to insult them again.

"Okay, Malfoy. That's a detention for you and your two friends. You had better leave before I make it more."

Malfoy scowled at Hermione and leaned in to her, "Alright I'm leaving, but don't think that you won't _regret this_." His eyes narrowed dangerously. Then he turned on his heel and shoved the other two out the door. Harry was surprised that Draco was able to move the two at all when he shoved them, but they seemed to cower and allow themselves to be pushed. After Malfoy stepped out of the compartment, he slammed the door, making the glass in it rattle.

A few minutes later, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, and Seamus Finnigan looked in on them. They came in and Dean shut the door tight. "What did you do to Malfoy? He seems to be in quite a tizzy over something you did to him, Hermione."

"He came in here and threatened us in his usual way. I've just gotten tired of it. So I used my new position to our advantage. Why, what did he say to you?"

"New position?" asked Neville.

"Hermione's one of the new Prefects," said Harry. Ron beamed with pride.

"Wow, that's great, Hermione!" said Seamus. "Maybe now we can get some of those slimy Slytherins back for everything that they done to us."

"Don't be silly. I'm not going to dole out detentions to every Slytherin that we see." 

"Why not?"

"Because I will not abuse my authority."

"You're no fun."

"You're telling me," muttered Ron. Hermione smacked him in the arm for that comment. "Just kidding, sweetie. I love you just the way you are," he whispered into her ear.

Harry shook his head, smirked, and muttered, "Whipped already." 

Ron narrowed his eyes dangerously at Harry, who put on an innocent look and turned his eyes toward the ceiling.

Seamus, Dean, and Neville looked back and forth between Ron, Hermione, and Harry.

"Did we miss something, here?" asked Seamus.

Hermione changed the subject quickly. "You never answered my question."

"What question?" asked Dean.

"What did Malfoy say to you?"

"Oh that…. It's not what he _said_ to us, so much as what we _overheard._ He was in the compartment in front of ours. As he passed by our compartment we heard him say your name," said Seamus pointing to Hermione. "We opened our door so we could hear what he was saying to Crabbe and Goyle…"

"So _what did he say_, Seamus?"

Seamus put on a mock voice that was a very good impression of an indignant Draco, "You wait Crabbe, wait until my father hears about this. A Mudblood doing this to _me_!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione laughed at the flare to which Seamus put into playing the role. He dropped the accent, "We figured that he meant you, as he seems to have it out for you. It was confirmed, of course, with what he said later."

"Seamus! I thought we agreed that we wouldn't say anything about that…" hissed Dean.

"Sorry. But I think that they have a right to know…"

"Know what?" asked Ron.

All eyes were now on Seamus, who continued in his mock Draco voice, but with a lot less flare this time. "Father'll have helped to free those Dementors, by now, from Azkaban. And after letting them run rampant for a little while to regain their strength, I'll bet the Dark Lord'll let them loose on Hogwarts. The first people that I hope that they attack are that filthy little Mudblood, Saint Potty, and the Weasel…"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared an uncomfortable look. They all sat talking for a while longer. As they felt the train slowing down, coming to the station in Hogsmeade, Dean, Seamus, and Neville went back to their compartment.

Ron turned to Harry, "Sorry I doubted you, mate. I guess that your vision about the Dementors was right."

Harry nodded as Ginny walked back in to grab something out of her trunk before it was taken up to the school. 

Harry noticed the dull burn was back in his scar. He decided that he too would grab something out of his trunk before heading up to school, the pin that helped make the pain in his scar go away. He quickly took out the pin that Dumbledore had given him for his birthday and pinned it to his robes. The pain in his scar diminished, but left a warm glowing feeling there instead that Harry had never notice before. 

He ran to catch up with Ron and Hermione. As he stepped off the train he was happy to hear the familiar voice calling above the heads of the students, "Righ' then! Firs' years over here, please!" Hagrid caught Harry's eye and waved. Harry waved back as made his way to the horseless carriages. 

Harry shivered in the cool night air, so he pulled his robes around him tighter. Feeling a little apprehensive, he looked around quickly just to be sure that there weren't any Dementors. He felt better when he saw Ron and Hermione standing, waiting outside one of carriages for him. They both had their robes pulled tight around them as well. He ran up and they climbed into the carriage. Neville ran up just as their carriage was about to leave and asked if he could ride with them. Harry scooted over as if in response. Neville climbed aboard. Harry got a bit nervous when he realized that the carriage did not take off after Neville got in. A face appeared in the window next to Neville and they all jumped.

Draco laughed heartily. "So you can feel it, can't you, Potter. The tension in the air. The cold. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't make it through the night!" 

"Sod off, Malfoy!" said Neville surprising himself as well as everyone else in the carriage.

Hermione, who was the first to recover from the shock of Neville talking back to Malfoy, said, "Yes, before I give you another detention for threatening a fellow student…." 

Malfoy walked off toward another carriage laughing. As he went and through his laughter, several words were heard distinctly. "You can't do anything to _me _now! Not with the Dark Lord nearby." 

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville all shared a look of dread and, more so in the case of Neville than the others, fear. The carriage began moving, but not in its usual smooth motion. It jerked and swayed more than usual. It was making them all sort of nauseous, more so Neville, whose face had gone nasty shade of green. Eventually the ride seemed to become slightly smoother, but not before there was a particularly hard jerk which made Harry hit his head hard against the back of the carriage.

Harry rubbed the back of his head, feeling the goose egg that made him feel slightly woozy. He rested his head against the cool window, trying to focus on the pain in the back of his head disappearing. It seemed to diminish a bit and then something strange started happening…. 

As the carriage trundled along, the heat increased in Harry's scar, almost as if the pain from the back of his head was being channeled into his scar. Finally pain exploded through to his head. He clutched his scar and dropped to the floor just as the carriage slowed down and stopped, something that it had never done before on the way to Hogwarts before. Harry writhed in pain in the small space of the floor. As he moved around he accidentally hit one of the jewels in his phoenix pin. 

The pain in his scar ceased instantly, and just in time for him to hear screams coming from the carriages ahead of him. The scream seemed to echo and then there was no sound. Breathing hard to catch his breath, he opened his eyes and saw a being in a black hooded cloak standing above him. 

He got to his feet and pulled out his wand. He was surprised to see that Hermione, Ron, and Neville were still sitting there. They seemed to be petrified. They weren't moving at all. Harry then realized that the being in the cloak was not moving either. When he dropped his arm, something caught his eye and he looked down at the floor. He gasped to see that his body was still lying there. The thought that traveled through his head at that moment was _Am I dead?_

Harry was trying hard to figure out what had happened before he had come to be where he was now. He remembered rolling over onto his side just as the pain in his scar ceased. But as he was looking at his body lying there, he realized that his body was on its back. He sighed to himself and thought about how much he wished he knew what was going on. 

Instantly, everything went dark and he felt like he was falling. Suddenly he was back in his body. He could feel the hard cold floor of the carriage beneath him. He opened his eyes and he was looking into the harsh black depths of Snape's eyes beneath a black hooded cloak. He jumped and moved back away from the potion's master. Snape sneered and pushed some of his greasy black locks back out of his face after lifting his head, and put on the venomous look that he reserved just for Harry. 

"Don't worry, Potter. I'm not going to hurt you. (Harry distinctly heard Snape mutter under his breath, "Yet…") I was just asked by the headmaster to check on something by the gates of the school. When I was coming toward the gates, I heard a scream coming from this carriage. So being the _concerned _professor that I am, I came to check on what the problem was. And that is when I found you on the floor clutching your scar." He sneered again and then a slow evil smirk spread across his face. "Shall I inform Madam Pomfrey to expect the fragile Mr. Potter tonight," he said in voice dripping with mock concern and sarcasm.

"No. I'm just fine, thank you," Harry said, with an obvious bite to his voice.

"Well, you can't say that I never tried to care for your well being…" said Snape with a sly smirk to his face. Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously, as he stared after the professor that he loathed more than any other. Harry got to his feet and sat back down on the seat, his cheeks so red from embarrassment that he swore that they must glow in the dark. The carriage finally started moving again, still jerkily, but much less so than before.

Gathering his courage to get over the embarrassment that he felt from the incident, he asked the other three what had happened. Hermione and Ron looked at Neville. Neville, through the dark, was quite obviously embarrassed and upset by what happened. He squeaked out what had happened timidly. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I mean, I've heard that your scar was cursed and could tell you when there was trouble nearby, but I've never seen you have that sort of reaction from it before…. I screamed out, because I thought you were going to die…" 

"That's okay, Neville. I forgive you. I understand. I'm just sorry that you had to see that." A tense silence filled the carriage. Harry's thoughts turned to his questions about what had just happened. He had so many questions with no answers. 

When they finally passed through the gates flanked by statues of winged boars, Harry got a funny tingling feeling. He visibly shivered and looked at the others who were doing the same. "That was strange," muttered Harry. Ron and Hermione just nodded in agreement. Neville swallowed hard and almost appeared to be praying. The previous questions were driven from Harry's mind, as new ones about what just happened entered. Harry felt a deep sense of confusion that he knew would not quell until all of his questions were answered.

Harry looked out the window to see the many shimmering lights of the Hogwarts castle appearing in the distance. Somehow seeing those lights gave him a subtle sense of comfort, melting the questions from his mind. Before he knew it they were at the steps of the castle. They got out and started up the steps, following all of the others into the castle. Harry stood on the steps looking up into the starlit sky. He looked at the star that was his godfather was named after and wondered how he was doing. He let the evening's incidents to be pushed far from his mind as a gentle breeze played upon his face.

When his eyes returned to the crowd, he saw the girl that he had had a crush on for the past year and a half, Cho Chang. She had half of her face lit up by the light coming from the open castle doors. He had to admit that she was most definitely more beautiful than the last time he had seen her. He wanted to go over and say something to her, but he was afraid the she blamed him for Cedric's death. 

Cedric had been a really good friend of hers. She had even gone to the formal dance with him the last year. Harry decided that sometime during the year he would make an effort to speak to her, but it wouldn't be tonight.

They slowly made their way into the castle and into the Great Hall, where they would eat the Welcome Feast and watch, as some very nervous first years, who at that moment were crossing the lake next to Hogwarts, would be sorted into one of the four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.

Once they were all seated the first years were brought into the hall. The familiar three-legged stool was brought out and placed on the raised platform where the teachers' tables were. Upon the stool sat a tattered and frayed, dirty, old, black wizard's hat. The nervous first years stood staring at the hat. Harry smiled as he thought about what must be going through their minds right about now. He remembered that, in his first year, for one wild moment he had thought he was going to have to pull a rabbit out of it or something of the sort, but that was only until it sang.

A rip near the brim of the hat opened wide and began to sing now:

__

Once upon a long time ago,

There were four wizards great.

They founded the Hogwarts School

For magic, they would educate.

They brought here young sorcerers

That they themselves had picked.

Thus the houses that bore their names

Formed up really quick.

So put me on and we shall see

Where it is YOU ought to be.

Brave and bold Gryffindor 

Prized above the rest

Those who were lionhearted

To him you are the best.

If you are intelligent

You may find that you fall

In the house of Ravenclaw,

Among the cleverest of all.

Hardworking Hufflepuffs find

Patience for all that they do,

So in this house of the loyal

We may just find you.

Or perhaps with ambition

We find you of late.

So into Slytherin you'll go,

I will not hesitate.

Now put me on

And I will see,

Where you go

Most gleefully.

Now don't worry

I'm never wrong.

And I think you'll find

This is the end of my song.

Applause rang out though out the hall. The hat bowed to each of the tables and then sat still until Professor McGonagall unrolled her parchment and began reading the names of the first years. Harry sighed deeply and looked up into the ceiling, which was charmed to look like the sky outside. He barely listened as the boys and girls with varying degrees of fear went to the stool to be sorted. 

The first moment that Harry was really paying attention to the sorting was when the boy that had been walking out of Ollivanders when he, Ron and, Hermione walked in with Amelia and Arabella, went to the stage to the name "Rockley, Nicholas". There was still something extremely familiar about the boy. Harry just couldn't put his finger onto why…. The Sorting Hat took quite a while to place the boy. Eventually it called out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

As the boy walked toward the table Harry looked at him closely. He was quite thin and had straight, light brown hair. He suddenly realized exactly who this boy reminded him of… He was just how Harry had pictured Lupin at that age. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione who, by the looks on their faces, thought the same thing that he did about the boy. _Could this boy be related to Lupin, maybe even be his son?_ wondered Harry.

When the sorting ceremony was finally over, the man with long silvery hair and beard that he could tuck into his belt and half-moon spectacles, who sat in the very middle of the teacher's table stood up. Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of the school, looked about the room with the usual twinkle in his blue eyes. "I have but a few words to say…. Rinky, Tinky Tatooie." He sat back down as the food magically filled the empty plates that had been sitting in a line in the middle of each of the four long tables.

Shortly after Ron piled his plate high with food, the house ghosts made their appearances. Nearly Headless Nick came up from the middle of the Gryffindor table, scaring a few of the first years. Semitransparent and pearly white and wearing his usual doublet with a particularly large ruff that held on his partially severed neck from a botched beheading, Nick greeted the new students and then glided over to where the Grey Lady, the Ravenclaw ghost was floating. Together they haltingly glided out of the room, as Nick talked to several of the students. 

Harry looked up at the teacher's table and noticed that, for the first time since his first year the table was actually full. He looked along it noticing several new faces, and one that he was surprised to see, Arabella Figg. She noticed Harry looking at her and she gave him a smile. Harry smiled back. Then he turned to Ron and Hermione and said, "I wonder why Arabella is here, what she is going to be teaching, I mean." 

Ron and Hermione turned to look at the teachers for the first time. "I guess we will find out when Dumbledore makes the announcement, won't we?" said Hermione logically. 

A voice from behind Harry spoke in his ear, "Yeah, but Harry did you notice the other new female teacher up there?" Harry turned around and gave Seamus a funny look.

"No, where?" Seamus pointed at a really young and very pretty looking blond. Her curly hair hung at her shoulders. She seemed to sense that someone was looking at her. She looked around until her eyes fell onto Harry, who was staring, open-mouthed. Harry realized that he was gawking at her. He quickly closed his mouth, as she gave him a soft smile. Harry couldn't help but stare into the deep blue wells that showed that, while she may be young, she had seen and been through much. There was wisdom there that almost equaled that of Dumbledore. _How could someone so young know so much?_ thought Harry.

Harry suddenly was brought back to present by Ron's voice, "I wonder who is going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. You don't think that Arabella could be it, do you, Harry? _Harry? **Harry**_?"

"Huh… what…. Oh, I don't know. I'm not sure, but you never know, I s'pose." They went back to their food, as dessert suddenly appeared. Though Harry kept looking back up to the table at the woman. Something was drawing him to her and he didn't know what.

Once they had eaten their fill, the plates were suddenly empty once again and Dumbledore stood up again. "Well, now that we are all pleasantly fed and watered, I have several start of term announcements. So, I ask to have your complete attention…." Dumbledore paused to wait for all noise in the room to cease. "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to remind you that all forbidden objects must not be brought inside of the castle. There is a full list comprising of approximately four hundred thirty-seven items is available to be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anyone would care to check it.

"Also, I would like to remind you that there is to be no students going into the Dark Forest, especially this year. The forest is out-of-bounds and considered a very unsafe place in the current environment of our world. 

"Also, there will be a change in how we conduct our trips to Hogsmeade for those students in their third year and above, this year. I must stress that this is for your own safety. All trips will be staggered, as such…. The even and odd years will get separate weekends. We will also require that each year and house have a set time for coming and going. If you miss that time then you will not be allowed to go. No student in the first and second years will be allowed to go to Hogsmeade, for obvious reasons. 

"On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome three new teachers to Hogwarts. Our Potions Master will have some… personal business attend to periodically throughout the year, so I am delighted to welcome back Professor Fletcher, who has come out of retirement to assist us during Professor Snape's occasional absence." There was a scattered applause for the rather old, odd looking wizard. Though he did seem to exude the same aura as Dumbledore when they looked at him. As the indifferent applause died away Dumbledore continued.

"Second, I am very pleased to welcome, from the United States, Professor Lina Clovis, who was kind enough to fill the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts." Dumbledore pointed along the table toward the young woman that Harry hadn't been able to stop looking at throughout dinner. The applause was tumultuous, especially from the boys of the room. Harry and Ron were among the last of the boys to stop applauding. Ron got a slap on the arm from Hermione for that.

"What? I was just trying to welcome one of the new teachers."

"You were overdoing it a bit, though. Now, weren't you?"

Ron half smiled, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. "Hermione, how can you be jealous of a teacher?"

"I'm not jealous!" she hissed.

"Okay, you two, I would like to hear the rest of the announcements if you wouldn't mind." Harry shook his head at them. They had been a couple for only a few hours and they were already fighting. 

"Lastly, I am pleased to welcome Professor Arabella Figg. She will be assisting in various classes when necessary." There was a warm applause for her, especially from the Gryffindor table where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were clapping very loudly. 

"As I'm sure that some of you may be aware, there have been stronger protective charms placed upon the grounds and castle. These are as yet unbreakable to certain dark forces. However, I would suggest that no student should walk around alone, as we live in dark and perilous times." Dumbledore looked pointedly at the Gryffindor table around where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting.

"Finally, I am happy to announce that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup is back on. I am certain that Gryffindor is eager to defend its winning title from two years ago. I wish all the houses the best of luck in the contest. 

"Thank you for your patience. You may now make your way to your houses. Good night." He sat back down and there was sudden scraping coming from all over the room as all of the students got up and headed toward their houses. Ron whispered in Hermione's ear that he would see her up in the common room, as she had to lead the first years to the house. Harry sat there for a few minutes waiting for the Great Hall to empty out so that he could go up to the teacher's table and speak to Hagrid. 

Hagrid got up and was about to leave. Realizing this Harry got up and fought against the crowd to get to him before he left the Great Hall. Being aware that Harry was trying to get to him, Hagrid stopped and waited. Behind his thick, wiry, black beard there was a smile. It reached all the way to crinkled corners of his beetle-black eyes. Harry smiled back and greeted his friend with a hug. 

"How are ya, Harry?"

"I'm good. How was your summer?" Harry lowered his voice and leaned in toward the half giant. "Did you succeed in your mission?"

"Now, ya know I can' say nothin' 'bout that, Harry. Bu' I did have good summer. It were fun gettin' to travel 'round like that. The Alps is always nice in the summer," Hagrid answered quietly.

"The Alps… Is that where the giants are?" asked Harry in a whisper.

Hagrid eyes widened and he muttered as he began to shuffle off toward the door, "I shouldn' o' said that. I should no' have said that. I shouldn' o' said that."

Harry chuckled to himself before he called out, "I'm glad that you had a good summer, Hagrid. It's good to see you again."

Hagrid turned and smiled softly at Harry. "It's good ter see ya too, Harry." He looked out into the empty Great Hall then turned back to Harry and said, "Ya bes' be off to yer house now, Harry."

Harry turned around. "Right. Good night, Hagrid." 

"Good nigh'."

Harry ran off to catch up to the group of people trying to get into the Gryffindor House. He got there just in time to hear the fat lady in a pink silk dress of the portrait guarding the entrance to the house ask, "Password?"

Hermione straightened herself and squared her shoulders with pride as she cleared her throat and said, "Ursa Minor." 

From somewhere in the crowd a voice that Harry recognized as Neville Longbottom's slightly panicked voice, rose above the slight din, "Not another hard one to remember…." Harry chuckled to himself. Neville always had a hard time remembering the password. 

The portrait swung forward revealing the hole that they had to crawl into to get into the common room. Hermione led the first years into the common room. As Harry climbed through the hole he heard much of the same speech that he had heard four years ago from Percy Weasley coming from his best friend. 

While many of the others went up to their rooms for the night Harry decided to plop down on the couch next to Ron, who was watching his girlfriend performing her duties, with a silly, love smitten smirk on his face. After Hermione completed her speech, she dismissed them. As she was walking over to the couch where her two best friends were sitting waiting for her, she was inundated with several first years who had questions, each feeling that theirs were the most important questions at the time. 

After about fifteen more minutes trying to shake off the new students she flopped onto the couch between her boyfriend and her best friend, looking rather frazzled and bothered.

"You all right, 'Mione?" asked Ron cautiously.

"Yeah. I've just never been so drained in my life. I swear that these first years are so much more nervous about everything than we ever were, needing to know everything before they start. We were never that precocious, were we?" 

"Well, I think some of us were…," said Ron giving Hermione a meaningful look. He ducked as she turned to swat him. They sat up and talked for a while. Harry was the first to excuse himself and head to bed, as he had a feeling that Hermione and Ron might want a little time alone before going to bed.

Harry changed into his pajamas and climbed into his bed, feeling safe at last being back at the place that he truly felt was like home. He closed his eyes seeing the deep blue pools that he had gotten lost in at the feast that night. So Lina Clovis was their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry smiled into his pillow as he thought about how much he was going to enjoy that class this year. He slipped off into slumber as the visions of Cho, Ginny, and Professor Clovis danced about inside his head and never even heard when Ron came into the room and fall onto the bed fully clothed one hour later.


	6. The Prediction, the Scar, the Pin & the

__

Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! Thank you for your comments and compliments, Tim, Lilly, HongMing, and Manateegirl524!!! 

**__**

CHAPTER SIX – THE PREDICTION, THE SCAR, THE PIN, AND THE RING

The next morning Harry woke up early to what sounded Dudley snoring, but he knew that was impossible since he was at school. He sat up and pulled back the red curtains on his four poster bed. He grabbed his glasses and put them on to see what was making such a racket. What he saw made him almost laugh out loud. 

Ron was laying half on half off of his bed. He was fully clothed. Harry noticed that his head was almost touching the floor. Harry was amazed that Ron was still half on the bed. He looked like he should have fallen off long before then. There was a little drool that was sliding up his cheek. But that was not the most amusing thing. Ron had lipstick smeared all over his cheeks and neck, as well as all over his softly smiling, half-open lips.

Harry got up, trying really hard to hold back his laughter. He walked over to wake up his unknowingly comical best friend. He approached quietly, checking to see if the other three boys in the room were still asleep. The curtains were still drawn around their beds, so Harry assumed that they were. Harry wasn't sure how to wake Ron without startling him, but he knew that he needed to do it quickly, before the others would woke up.

Harry walked over to where Ron was hanging off the bed. He shook Ron's shoulder. Ron jumped as his eyes flew open, and instantly started to fall off the bed. With his lightening fast Quidditch reflexes, Harry caught Ron's legs before he fell completely onto the floor, waking up everyone.

"Bloody hell, Harry. What the devil are you doing?" asked Ron loudly. 

Neville stirred on his bed. "Shh. I'll explain in a minute. Come on get up," whispered Harry.

Harry helped Ron get up, as he was very dizzy from sleeping with his head down. "Whoa, head rush." Harry helped Ron into the bathroom and over to the sink. 

"Okay, now will you tell me why you woke me up at this obscene hour?" he asked as he glanced at his watch.

"See for yourself," said Harry pointing toward the mirror. Ron looked into the mirror. His face instantly turned a brighter shade of red that his hair as his mouth slowly dropped open. He turned the water on in the sink and washed his face, as Harry finally broke into a hearty laughter that he had been holding back since he saw Ron hanging off his bed.

Ron gave Harry an evil look for laughing. To which Harry tried really hard to contain his laughter, but burst out laughing only moments later. "Thanks for nothing, Harry…"

When Harry finally calmed down he said, "Oh, come on Ron. Who would you have rather found you like that? Me or one of the other three?"

Ron's eyes widened with fear as he realized that it could have been one of the others to find him. "Okay. Okay. I get your point…. Thanks," he said flatly. Just then Neville walked into the bathroom, yawning, hair sticking out at funny angles. He looked at Ron and Harry, who looked at each other and shared a smile. They walked back out and, now fully awake, got dressed and went down to the common room. 

They sat quietly chatting in front of the fire until Hermione came down the staircase from the girls' dorm. Harry almost started laughing again when he saw Hermione, but Ron punched him in the arm to get him to shut up. 

"You're up early enough," said Ron.

"Obviously so are you, since you two beat me down here. How long have you been sitting there like that?"

Harry tried to look at his watch, but soon realized that that was the one thing he forgot to get when they had been out shopping for supplies in Diagon Alley. His other watch had been damaged in the second task of the Tri-wizard tournament. Harry had had to go into the lake beside Hogwarts to the mer-peoples city to free Ron from them. He had forgotten to take off his watch, so since it had not been waterproofed, it stopped working. Harry had taken it off during the summer and thrown it away. He turned to Hermione and said, "For about two freckles and a hair." Hermione looked indignant and Harry laughed. "Sorry, I couldn't resist…. I forgot to get a new watch, so I don't know."

Ron looked at his watch, "For about an hour."

"What have you been doing for that hour?"

"Just sitting here."

"What? Why weren't you using the time wisely, for studying or something?"

"Oh, come on, 'Mione. Classes haven't even started yet."

"That's not the _point_, Ron. We've O.W.L.s this year. The earlier that we start studying for them the better off we will be."

"Oh, give it a rest, already. You're not going harp on us all year about this, are you?"

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ron, of course she is. You know that. She wouldn't be our Hermione if she didn't." Harry ducked as she went to swat at him. "Well, come on then. Why don't we go down to breakfast?" 

"But it's only quarter to seven. I wanted to get some studying done." 

Harry rolled his eyes and said, "Hermione, in about half an hour this room is going to be filled with people making noise and disturbing you. Why don't you come down now and then when they are just getting to the Great Hall for breakfast, you can be on your way back up here for some good quiet study time?" 

Hermione seemed to be thinking it over. "Perhaps your right. Alright, let's go." She practically dragged them out of the common room. They walked down to the Great Hall and found, surprisingly, that they were not the first ones down there. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shortly after seven the new schedules were passed out. Ron glanced at his schedule as he filled his plate for the second time with sausages. "Damn, we have double Divination first, and this afternoon we have Care of Magical Creatures, still with the Slytherins…. Well, at least there is one good thing today. We have Defense Against the Dark Arts with Ravenclaw. I can't wait to meet our new teacher," said Ron. Ron quickly moved away from Hermione seeing that she raised her hand to slap his arm at the last comment. But he didn't move fast enough. He smiled sheepishly as he rubbed his arm. Harry simply shook his head.

They were finishing up right when the bulk of the student body was arriving. Hermione prodded Ron to hurry up and finish his fifth helping of sausages, so that they could go back to the tower. Ron had to shove that last sausage into his mouth as Hermione pulled him up and out of the Great Hall. Harry and Ron sat quietly on the couch, as Hermione ran back up to her dorm room to get some books. 

When she came back down she said, "You mean to tell me that you are just going to sit there?"

"Yeah," said Ron and Harry in unison. Hermione rolled her eyes and plopped down at the table. She pulled out a book with the title _Tips for Success on the O.W.L. Tests._ Harry chuckled and shook his head at her tenacity. 

Ron and Harry decided to go over their schedules again. After a few moments, Ron noticed that Harry had a funny look on his face. "What is it, mate?"

"There's something strange on my schedule."

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure. But look…." Harry held out his schedule for Ron to look at. 

Ron took it and looked it over for a minute. "I don't see anything."

"Look here. Under Thursday."

Ron looked closely at what Harry pointed at. It was a tiny picture of a phoenix and it was moving. "What is that?"

By this time Hermione had looked up from her book. Curious at what was going on, she got up and came over to look at Harry's schedule too. Looking over Ron's shoulder she said, "It looks like a tiny phoenix…. I wonder…." She took out her wand and tapped it.

It wiggled and looked irritated. A small note of a phoenix's song was heard and it quavered in the air momentarily. The words _Harry Potter only_ flashed next to the tiny symbol. They looked at Harry. Harry took his wand out his robes and tapped it. Again the Phoenix wiggled, but then it grew. It flew across the parchment several times. Slowly words were revealed. _7pm – 9pm Advanced Magical Methods and Dueling, taught by various professors. Class by invitation only and should not be discussed with anyone._

Ron and Hermione excited by the possibility of this being true for them, they took out their schedules too. They both noticed that they too had the tiny phoenix. They each tapped their Phoenix with their wands with the same result. Hermione was ecstatic. Ron, though excited by the idea that Dumbledore thought he was ready for Advanced Magic, said, "Great. More studying."

"Oh, Ron. Think of the opportunity this presents you with."

"I know, but…. We already get loads of homework. And as you so frequently point out, 'Mione, we have O.W.L.s coming up this year. How are we going to have time for other things…"

"Like what?"

"Like- like Quidditch."

"Ron, you're not even on the team."

"No, but I was planning on going out for the team this year. There's an opening on the team."

"So?"

"So, I won't have time for it, if I do this class."

"Now you're just making excuses, Ron. Harry's on the Quidditch team already and you don't hear him complaining. I think that you are just afraid to fail."

Harry, who had been quiet up until that point, spoke up. "She's right, Ron. Look, you always seem to get upset when the spotlight is on me and me alone. I've never liked that, but unfortunately I've never had a choice because of who I am. But this time it's on you too. I think it's about time, don't you? Besides think about it this way, you might actually learn something that others won't know and do better on the tests because of it."

Ron looked at Harry in awe. He didn't quite know what to say. He always thought that Harry liked the limelight all to himself. He was shocked to find out how much Harry disliked it. He flushed and nodded his head. Just then the portrait hole opened and Neville rushed in.

"What are you still doing here? We've got Double Divination in two minutes," he said to Harry and Ron breathlessly.

Harry and Ron stood up. Hermione got up so quickly from the table that she spilled all of her books on the floor. "Then why are you here, Neville?" asked Ron.

"Because I forgot my bag!" he exclaimed as he ran up the stairs to the dorm room. Ron gave Hermione a quick peck on the cheek before he and Harry followed Neville to grab their bags too. When they returned to the common room, Hermione had already left for her Arithmancy class. Harry, Ron, and Neville ran up to the North Tower. They barely made it up the tightly spiraled staircase in time. 

They leaned against the wall completely out of breath waiting for the circular trapdoor to open in the ceiling above them. Shortly thereafter it opened and Harry, Ron, and Neville had to coax their sore muscles to carry them up the silver stepladder after the rest of their classmates.

The familiar strong scent of sweet perfume emanating from the fire reached their nostrils when they reached the top of the ladder. The heat was stifling and the room had a dim red glow to it, due to the lamps being covered by scarves and shawls and the window curtains being closed. They found their usual chintz chairs and seated themselves at the two empty tables. They looked around the room, expecting Professor Trelawney to appear out of the shadows at any moment.

"Welcome back, dear seers," came her misty voice from right behind Harry. Despite all of his screaming, aching muscles, he jumped up and spun around, seeing light reflect off of her glasses in the darkened corner behind where he had been sitting. She seemed to simply glide out of the shadows. The pitiful expression that she always reserved for when she looked at Harry was peering out from behind the thick glasses that made her eyes look to big for her face.

"You are very jumpy, my dear, as well you should be…." said the very thin woman covered in glittering beads, chains, and bangles. "For I have seen that tragedy will befall you this year…. I daresay that someone close to you will perish…."

Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil gasped and turned the same pitiful expressions to Harry. Harry just rolled his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. It was not unusual for Professor Trelawney to predict Harry's death on a daily basis, so Harry was quite unperturbed about her prediction. She made her way to the large armed wing chair that sat in front of the fire facing the class. She began to lecture on the history of the Tarot and its many different versions of the cards. She was explaining the validity of some and the fraudulent imitation of others in her usual very calm and soothing voice.

Harry tried in vain to take notes. But the sound of Trelawney's voice combined with the warmth, the sweet calming scent of the room, and the fact that Harry had been up early, all made Harry very sleepy. He felt a warmth spread throughout his head beginning at his scar. His eyes began drooping….

Harry felt that he was falling through the floor, though somehow he could still see Professor Trelawney. He felt like the bottom of his stomach was about to drop out, as the speed that he was dropping was increased at a breakneck pace. He started to panic feeling that he was either going to die with the impact at whatever bottom he reached or he was simply going to be lost falling forever. 

Suddenly he stopped and Dumbledore with Amelia and Arabella Figg and Hagrid were sitting at a long oval table. Professor Trelawney was still there but she was almost ghost-like; she was transparent, but she still held her color. She wasn't the same misty white like most of the other ghosts of the castle. 

Professor Trelawney started changing shape. She was suddenly a Phoenix. She raised above their heads in the center of the room, as it filled with lots of people, both living and ghosts and spirits, many that Harry recognized, even though he did not really know who they were, and others he did not. They were all looking at him. 

In front of him, appeared the sword that Harry had pulled from the sorting hat, brought to him by Dumbledore's Phoenix Fawkes, in his second year to defeat a Basilisk, the monster in the Chamber of Secrets. The Chamber of Secrets was the secret room in the castle that had been created by the one founder, Salazar Slytherin, that did not agree with the way that the school was being run. He had sealed it so that only his Heir was able to get into it. The Basilisk was supposed to rid the school of all the "un-pure" or half blood witches and wizards. Harry had had to defeat the monster in order to save Ginny Weasley from death. 

The hilt of the sword turned toward him. He had the urge to take it, but wasn't sure why. He was hesitant. As he raised his hand to take it, he feared that he was under the Imperius Curse, one of the unforgivable curses that Voldemort or one of his death eaters used on a wizard or witch to control their thoughts and actions. _Why should I be taking this sword? I don't want to use it on anyone in this room. All of the people here are friends and family, and how I know that, I'm not sure. But, there is no reason for me to take this sword at this time._ His hand dropped back to his side and he felt like he was flying back up into his body. There was a voice speaking he couldn't quite hear what it was saying, but it sounded like something about the founders of the school. 

He realized he could still see, through his dropping eyes, Professor Trelawney, who transformed back into her thin, bead and bangle covered self. He realized suddenly that Professor Trelawney was on her feet. This made Harry open his eyes wide. 

She stood there looking at Harry with wider eyes than usual from behind her glasses and her mouth agape. Harry looked around the room and saw that everyone was looking at him. Embarrassed he asked, "Why is everyone staring at me?" 

"Because, my dear, you just made a prediction."

"I did?"

"Yes…. You don't remember what you said?"

"No…." Harry was about to say that he had had a vision, but stopped himself because he didn't want to say too much about what happened until he, himself, understood what it meant.

"I've heard of this sort of thing, but it is a very rare gift of a true seer, an oracle, if you will. Many times it will happen without the knowledge of the person. Often the oracle will start out with dreams that are uncannily accurate to things that are actually happening around them at the exact moment that they are happening. I, myself, must admit that I have never experienced… nor have I have ever seen an oracle's gifts emerge so young. I've never actually seen it happen before in any of my students. Of the few true oracles that I know of, none of them ever had their gifts emerge until they were much older…. I'm sorry, we will have to continue our discussion about the Tarot another day. I must go and consult the Headmaster. If you will excuse me…."

Harry watched as she glided out of the room. Normally Harry would not believe too much of what Professor Trelawney said. But he had witnessed the same thing happen to Trelawney herself in his third year during his test at the end of the year. Not to mention she had told him at the Christmas Luncheon that same year that she almost never came down into the castle, as she felt that the hustle and bustle of the castle clouded her Inner Eye. Harry suddenly found that he had new respect for Professor Trelawney, but not too much. She still seemed very much like a fraud most of the time. 

After watching her leave through the trapdoor, he watched where she had been for a few seconds and then looked up and around the room again. He was very embarrassed to realize that everyone in the room was still staring at him. Feeling Harry's discomfort, Ron spoke up, "Alright, show's over!"

As they began to collect their things to leave, murmurs broke out amongst all of them. Several of them kept glancing out of the corner of their eyes at Harry, who rolled his eyes and knew before long this would be all over the school. He did not even want to think what Malfoy would say about all of this…

After everyone had gone Harry turned to Ron, who was still looking at Harry with a shocked expression, himself. "What did I say?"

Ron tried to answer but the words wouldn't come to him. He looked down at the table and noticed that Harry was still somehow holding his quill. He pointed to the paper in front of Harry. Harry looked at the paper in front of him and realized that somehow while having his vision, he had written what he must have predicted. 

When he read what he wrote he suddenly understood why everyone had been staring at him and why he had gotten the reaction that he did. It said, "The living Heirs of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff and those from whom they draw their strength must unite, under the semblance of the phoenix and the leadership of the One True Heir, in order for the Heir of Slytherin to fall. The One True Heir must lead them all to victory, or all hope for the world will be lost."

"Did I really say that?" asked Harry.

All Ron could do at first was nod. As he gathered up his books he found his voice. "But that was not the most incredible part, mate."

"Oh?"

"Your scar and eyes glowed, along with the phoenix pin that you're wearing on your collar. I'm not sure anyone else noticed that, because it was very subtle. Even I did not really notice it until you had finished speaking and the glow faded."

"Well, if you think that's weird…. Wait until I tell you about the vision I had when this was happening."

"So tell me now. We're alone in here."

"No, I'll tell you back at the common room. I feel like this room has eyes and I don't like being in here right now."

"Okay, mate." They quickly gathered the rest of their things and left the room swiftly.

When they reached the common room it was obvious that their classmates had already been talking, because when they entered most conversation stopped and most eyes were now on Harry. Harry was surprised to see so many people in the common room at that time, as he knew that he and his class had been let go early from Double Divination. Then he realized it was the short break that they get between classes and that most of them were just there to grab their books for their next classes.

"How did it spread so quickly?" asked Ron.

Harry just gave him a look and Ron smiled sheepishly at Harry. They waited for the room to clear of all of the people going to their next classes. The only people who were left in the room were their classmates. 

Harry and Ron sat in the far corner of the room. But Harry dared not talk about the vision that he had had with the prediction. He was too afraid that the others would try to listen in. They decided to wait until that night to talk about it, when everyone else had gone to bed.

Around the time that Ron and Harry were considering going to lunch, Hermione burst into the common room. She glanced around and when she saw Ron and Harry, she went over to them and pulled them out of the room. 

"Hermione, what's this all about?" asked Harry. She just shushed them until they reached the statue of Boris the Bewildered, a wizard with a confused look on his face and gloves on the wrong hands. Harry recognized that statue as the one that signified where the Prefect's bathroom was. He had visited it once right before the second task of the Tri-wizard Tournament, after being given a tip from Cedric about the clue in the egg that he had had to capture from the dragon's nest in the first task. 

They traveled to the fourth door to the left of the statue, where Hermione opened her mouth about to give the password, when Harry spoke, "Why are we here, Hermione?"

"Why are we where?" asked Ron, looking utterly confused.

"The Prefect's bathroom."

"How did you know that Harry?" asked Hermione sharply.

"Don't you remember last year, when I worked out the clue of the egg. I told you that Cedric had told me about it."

"Oh, right," she said softening a bit.

She looked back and forth down the corridor before stating, "Lemon scented." The door creaked open, just as it had the last time Harry had been there. They slipped inside quickly and slid the bolt lock over before turning around and walking into the room. 

Ron just stood in awe for a few moments. He glanced around the dimly lit room made entirely of white marble. He walked over to the large rectangular hole that sunk into the middle of the floor, lined with about a hundred golden taps, each with a different glittering jewel upon its handle. He walked along the edge of the pool that looked like it had been recently used, which explained why it felt so humid and hot in the room and why there was a heavy perfume that hung in the air. 

Ron looked longingly at the pool and its diving board. Then he noticed the white fluffy towels in the corner and ran over to them picking one up and rubbing it against his face. 

"Wicked! I wish I were a Prefect, now," he gushed.

"Yes, well that's not possible. Now, is it? Are you done gawking because I would really like to get started," spat Hermione.

"'Mione, what's gotten into you? You've done nothing but snap at us and drag us around since you got back to the common room. What's going on?"

"And, as I asked before, why are we here?"

She looked pointedly at Harry. Harry immediately knew what was coming.

"Is it true?"

"What?" asked Ron dumbly. Both Harry and Hermione looked at him impatiently. "Oh. You've heard then."

"So, it's true, then?"

Harry nodded.

"Harry, do you know what this means?" asked Hermione.

"I'm not sure I know to what you are referring to. What does what mean?" asked Harry.

"It means you're off the hook! I mean, if there is a One True Heir out there who can defeat You-Know-Who with the combined effort of the other Heirs then you don't have to worry about him anymore!"

"I'm not so sure about that, Ron…"

"Why? Maybe if this gets back to You-Know-Who then he'll stop chasing after you and go after the One True Heir…"

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at her boyfriend with an aggravated look. "Honestly, Ron…."

"What?"

"That's not at all what I was thinking…."

"So enlighten us then. What do _you_ think that this means?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No."

Harry started feeling warm and drowsy due to the perfume and heat of the room. He began to feel a warm sensation in his scar, again. It wasn't painful, but it was alarming, knowing what had happened the prior time when it got warm. He completely tuned out the lover's quarrel between his two best friends. He had a strange urge to run from this place. He couldn't explain it but he felt as if he were in eminent danger. Just as before he felt leery, like he was being watched. 

He got pulled from his thoughts when he heard his name. He only heard part of the question that Hermione asked "…about the One True Heir?"

"I don't know. I just don't know, right now." Harry started backing away. 

"Harry, what's going on?" asked Hermione.

"I don't know. I don't feel safe here."

"Why?" asked Ron.

"I'm not sure. It's just a feeling. Like-like we're being watched or something."

"Hermione! Look! Look at his scar!"

"What?" asked Harry.

"Harry, come here to the mirror!"

Harry walked to the mirror and looked at his scar at Hermione's request. It was indeed glowing ever so slightly. He reached up to touch it and noticed that the phoenix pin and his father's ring were glowing as well. He looked at the reflection of his friends in the mirror, wondering if they had noticed too. By the looks on their faces, they had.

To break the awkward moment, Harry spoke up, "Well, perhaps we should head to lunch now." He had made it clear with that simple phrase that the discussion was finished for the time being. 

But when he began to take a step toward the door the warmth in his head overtook him. His eyes began to droop and the feeling of falling came back to him. Again he stopped in the room and all of the people who had been there before reappeared. But there were more than before, some that Harry didn't expect to see. Standing on the back the chair that Dumbledore was sitting in, was Fawkes the phoenix, but also his own owl, Hedwig. And in the headmaster's lap was Crookshanks, Hermione's cat. He was stroking the cat with a knowing smile on his face. Harry looked at them questionably. He knew that there was something about them, something important…. It was almost as if they were trying to tell him something.

Lupin and Sirius stepped out of the shadows and next to the others. Professor Fletcher and Snape were also there. Hermione and Ron were in the background, but they too stepped to the front and sat at the table. If he was baffled at who was there in the room, he was even more surprised at who were not there in spirit… his parents. 

Harry didn't have much time to think about why he wasn't seeing his parents. Suddenly the sword was again in front of him with the hilt toward him. He still felt that he needed to take it, but fought the urge once again and was pushed up once again.

When he opened his eyes he was on the floor in the prefects bathroom, with Hermione and Ron standing over him. "Are you alright, Harry?" asked Ron cautiously.

"Yes… yes, I'm fine." Though as he sat up he felt a sharp pain go through his head from where he had hit it on the floor. "I didn't say anything strange while I was out this time, did I?"

They both shook their heads. "Maybe you should go to the nurse," said Hermione with concern.

"Now, come on. Don't start treating me like I'm delicate. I'll be fine. I just think that we need to leave from here."

"But Harry are you sure…"

"I'll be fine, Hermione. Now, let's go grab a quick lunch. We have to get going to Care of Magical Creatures."

"Yeah with the Slytherins," said Ron disgustedly, pulling a face.

After their lunch they wandered out onto the grounds, towards the little hut by the Dark Forest, where Hagrid lived. They had almost reached the hut when a familiar cold voice drawled, "So the Potty has begun to see that there is no hope for the future."

They stopped and turned around. They came face to face with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. 

Malfoy leaned in and said in a sneer, "So have you seen your death yet, Potter? Or how about the death of your… _friends_?" 

"On the contrary, Malfoy," said Harry as he glared at the pale boy with a pointed face, standing in front of him. "What I saw gave me hope…"

"Maybe, you haven't really seen anything then. Maybe you're really a fake! Nothing but a lying sack of sh…"

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK, MALFOY," roared Ron, who had had enough of Malfoy's lip. Ron took a step toward him. Crabbe and Goyle stepped in front of him. "You weren't there! You didn't see what happened," Ron continued as Harry and Hermione tried to restrain him and pull him away from the other three boys. As they pulled him far enough away from the other three, Ron turned around, muttering a few chose words ending with, "…. Evil loving _git_."

"Come on, Ron," Harry hissed in his ear, "Don't let him get to you."

"Easy for you to say, Harry," said Ron bitterly.

"Actually it's not, if you think about it, Ron. After all, it was me that he was referring to…."

"You're right, Harry. I'm sorry. But how can you let him talk to and about you like that."

"Because I don't really care about his opinion anymore. One thing that I have to say about this new ability that has begun to emerge… I have a feeling that he will get what's coming to him. And soon." He smiled slyly at Ron.

Ron looked at him and said, "Yeah let's hope that Hagrid has a really _interesting _creature, like maybe one that'll eat him." Harry laughed and Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. They almost laughed when they realized how close to the truth Ron had come…

When they got to the paddock Hagrid was standing there with a very wide grin, visible behind his wiry beard. Harry knew that grin. He had seen it before. Twice. Once in his first year and once last year at Hogwarts. He stopped in his tracks as the thing he suspected appeared ever so briefly from behind Hagrid. 

"Harry, what is it?" asked Ron.

"I think you might just have gotten your wish Ron."

"What are you on about, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"If I'm right, I think I just saw a dragon emerge from behind Hagrid a moment ago."

The other two looked back at their beloved Gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher. They saw something off in the distance behind Hagrid. It appeared to be a black leathery looking spiny wing, very similar to the wings of Norbert, the dragon that Hagrid had won from the "stranger" in Harry's first year. 

They slowly approached and when they got to the paddock, Hagrid said, "Goo' day! Everyone gather 'round! Yeh'll no' want ter miss this." As everyone came close to the half giant he stepped out of the way. The sight that met their eyes was quite amazing.

There curled up on the far side of the paddock was indeed a dragon. It lifted its head as Hagrid stepped out of the way. Not knowing how it would react if they stared into its eyes, most of them decided to not to look directly at the beast. Harry was the only one who slowly approached the paddock.

"Hold it there, Harry. Don' wan' yeh ta ge' too close. He's never had this many people lookin' at 'im before." He turned and addressed the class, "This is Norbert. He's a Norwegian Ridgeback." Hagrid turned and looked lovingly at the beast. Norbert seemed somehow to remember Hagrid too because even the harsh hard face of the young dragon seemed to soften a bit, at least as much as a dragon's face could soften. After sharing a quiet moment looking at each other, Hagrid turned back to the group.

"Okay. Dragons're very smar'…."

"Probably smarter than the big dumb oaf teaching the class," muttered Malfoy just loud enough to make most of the other students hear him. Harry and Ron were visibly irritated by Malfoy's comment. Ron's fists were opening and closing as if he really was trying to keep himself from going over and pounding the smile on Malfoy's face into his skull. 

Harry's hands were clenched so tightly that he felt his nails digging into his palms. Realizing the fact that both Harry and Ron looked like they were about to pounce on Malfoy, Hermione said, "Steady you two. Remember what you said earlier about Malfoy getting his own." 

Meanwhile Hagrid had gone on without even noticing Malfoy's insolence. "Now, iffin yer wan'in' ter approach der paddock ter see 'im a little closer, then yer gon ta have ta approach very slow like. Dragons'll attack summat that moves fast. See." Hagrid continued to explain how to approach the dragon and what to do to show him respect. 

Just as in their third year however, Draco and his two cronies were not listening to the instructions. This had been a big mistake on Draco's part during their third year. Draco had ended up getting attacked by a hippogriff named Buckbeak because he had insulted the beast badly. This caused Buckbeak to be put on trial and sentenced to death by front of the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures Council. Luckily Harry had intervened and gotten Buckbeak away before he had been killed. In fact Buckbeak was the one that had carried his godfather out and away from danger after he had found out the truth about what had happened the night Harry's parents were killed.

Harry shivered internally as he thought about how close he had come to losing his godfather that night. Watching Draco make the same mistake again made Harry very nervous. He did not want Hagrid to lose another Magical Creature, especially one that meant so much to him. 

"So who wan's ter come an' see Norbert up close?"

Harry stepped forward slowly and made sure that he did everything that Hagrid had explained. Slowly Norbert got up and walked over to Harry. Norbert put his nose so close to Harry that he could feel the heat and smell the brimstone scent that Hagrid had said would be on the dragon's breath. Harry slowly lifted his hand and touched Norbert's nose. It was amazing how much the scales felt like a snake's.

Harry finished touching Norbert's nose, Harry remembered that he needed to thank Norbert for the opportunity to do so. Because he had just been thinking about snakes though, he unknowingly slipped into Parseltongue. Norbert seemed to become very still. Everyone in the paddock became still, waiting with baited breath to see what sort of reaction Harry was going to get from the dragon.

Norbert lifted his head and pulled back his head slightly almost as if he were about to strike. Harry started to step slowly back from Norbert. By now everyone else had stepped back about forty feet knowing that a four year old dragon could not shoot fire past thirty feet. Hagrid was about to intervene when Norbert's head shot forward.

Hagrid was heard screaming, "Norbert, no!!!"

Harry was about to turn and run until he realized that Norbert was not attacking him but trying to stop him from leaving. He had stepped as far as he could without stepping out of the paddock and stretched his neck out as far as he could to block Harry's retreat with his head. Harry stood very still looking into the large eye that was right next to him. And though he knew he was in peril where he was, he somehow felt a sense of calm.

When Norbert was sure that Harry was not going anywhere he pulled his head back so that he could look at Harry with both eyes again. He stuck out his forked tongue and almost seemed to lick Harry with it. And then many strange sounds emitted from the dragon, that no one else but Harry could understand.

"Wh-h-h-o are you and h-h-h-how do you know my language?" hissed Norbert at Harry.

"I'm Harry Potter and I'm not sure what you mean about your language."

"You are s-s-speaking in the S-s-sacred S-s-serpent Tongue, s-s-spoken only by s-s-serpents-s-s-s."

"You mean serpents like snakes?"

"Yes-s-s-s."

"Well, there are some wizards who have a rare gift, the ability to speak to snakes, using Parseltongue. They call these wizards, Parselmouths. I just happen to be one…."

"I s-s-s-see…. I am very honored to have you address-s-s-s me in my own tongue. Es-s-s-specially after that very eloquent ex-x-xpress-s-s-sion of pleasure that you jus-s-st gave to me for allowing you to touch my nos-s-s-se. I must s-s-s-say that I was-s-s-s a bit s-s-s-surprised though and you s-s-s-saw my reaction. I apologiz-z-ze if I frightened you."

"Not at all." Harry smiled at Norbert while the rest of the group just stood there with their mouths hanging open, watching the exchange between them in silence. Even Hagrid had surprise hanging in his eyes. Harry was lost in his own thoughts for a few moments. He thought about how much easier the first task of the Triwizard tournament would have been if he had know that he could have talked to the Hungarian Horntail that he had had to get past. 

When Harry realized it was quiet he turned around and Norbert turned his head slightly to see everyone staring at them.

"So, wh-h-h-ho are all of the people s-s-s-standing over there with my Papa," hissed Norbert quietly.

"Your Papa?"

"Yes-s-s. The tall man that hatched me."

"Oh, you mean my friend, Hagrid…."

"Yes-s-s-s."

"Okay, well of the others half of them are Gryffindors like me…."

"What do you mean 'Gryffindors-s-s-s'?"

Harry took a moment to explain to Norbert about how Hogwarts worked.

"And you say that the S-s-s-slytherins-s-s-s have a s-s-s-snake as their mascot, but you are a Gryffindor whos-s-s-se mas-s-s-scot is-s-s-s a lion…. How is-s-s that poss-s-sible if you can s-s-s-speak the Pars-s-seltongue?"

Harry then explained what he knew about why he could speak the language.

"Ah, I s-s-s-see." Norbert turned his head and looked at the group again. "Perhaps-s-s-s you had better s-s-s-start ex-x-xplaining this-s-s-s to your fellow s-s-students-s-s. They look a little nervous-s-s-s."

"Right." Harry turned to the group and explained what the exchange was about. Hagrid was visibly excited at the prospect of being able to communicate with the dragon that had once been his. "Harry, do yeh think yed be able teh introduce everyone teh Norbert there?"

Harry turned and spoke to Norbert. The dragon nodded its head and Harry smiled. Harry turned back to the group and said, "Norbert would like that very much." 

Slowly the others came forward and Harry introduced them all to Norbert. Eventually excitement spread throughout the group as they had just been personally introduced to a Dragon and lived to tell the tale. 

Each person made sure that did everything that they were told to show respect. When Harry introduced Ron and Hermione, he made sure to tell Norbert that they were his best friends, but explained that they were unable to speak Parseltongue. Norbert hissed that he was honored to meet the friends of the Parselmouth wizard, Harry Potter. When Harry relayed the message they bowed and stepped away. 

As the group of them were waiting to be introduced, Hagrid talked a bit more about the dangers of wild untamed dragons, "Da Dragon's Stare is da look dat a dragon give to its prey jus' afore it cooks it with its fire breath, so dat da prey don' move. Da Stare make all o' da muscles in da prey's body stop workin'. Dat's why yeh shouldna look inter der eyes. Even der tame ones can do it. So iffin yer feelin' like yeh can' move, let me know."

There was some Slytherins muttering amongst the others waiting in the crowd when Hagrid finished his speech, "If we got the Dragon's Stare, how are we supposed to let him know that we are frozen?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe he's looked in the eyes of a dragon to often and now his brain is frozen…." This phrase got a reproachful stare by Hermione who was standing nearby. It was Ron's turn to remind her that they couldn't do anything about the Slytherins.

Hermione muttered under her breath, "Don't be too sure…. I am a prefect after all."

~~~~~~~~~~~

The only three that stood apart, not wanting to be personally introduced to the beast by Harry, were Malfoy and his two cronies. 

"Who are thos-s-s-se three?" hissed Norbert indicating Draco and his friends with his head, between introductions. Harry took a quick glance at where Norbert had indicated.

"Those are the bullies of my year. They are Slytherin and my archenemies, Draco Malfoy is the smaller one in the middle, and the two big dumb looking ones flanking him are Crabbe and Goyle," hissed Harry with a bite to his voice. 

Harry was surprised to see what looked like a smile spread across the dragon's face. "Would you like me to s-s-s-scare them?"

Harry smirked and laughed at the idea of having a dragon willing to scare the pants off of his enemy. "Not right away. But when you do perform that feat make sure that you don't hurt him, because he has a father with very high influence and he already nearly had another wonderful magical creature destroyed because of his manipulation. Luckily I was able to set the creature free, before it was beheaded as it was slated to be…."

A cold calculated look entered the dragon's eyes, "I s-s-s-see. I will heed your warning Harry Potter, but if an opportunity aris-s-s-ses-s-s-s then I will c-c-c-certainly take it…"

Harry smiled at him and continued the introductions. When everyone but Malfoy and his thugs had been introduced, Malfoy sauntered over to the paddock with a brazen strut. "I'll take my introductions from here, Potter…"

Hagrid stuck out a huge hand before Malfoy got to the paddock to stop him. "Malfoy, I think yeh'd better let Harry do the introductions," said Hagrid a bit worried. Fear was evident on his face and Harry was sure that he was thinking about Buckbeak.

The pale-haired boy rounded on the half giant and said, "I think I pride myself in knowing a bit more about these… beasts than you, _sir._"

"How do yeh figure on tha'?"

"Well, I am named after them, after all." Draco turned back to Norbert.

Hagrid muttered, "Jus' 'cause yer named fer 'em. Don' make you no expert, but yeh've got ter make yer own mistakes, I guess." Though he did stand close by in case he needed to restrain Norbert for any reason. 

Harry turned to say something to Norbert, when a weird sort of hissing emitted from Draco. Harry almost laughed when he heard what Draco said in an odd sort of botched up mixture of Parseltongue gibberish and English, "Me…. Draco…. You…. Ignorant… serpent." 

"Uh, Malfoy…. I would quit while you're ahead, if I were you," Harry said, as Norbert pulled his head back trying to listen to and understand the English part of the conversation.

"Why are you threatened by my superior skills at speaking Parseltongue?"

Harry held back a snicker. "Erm… How do you know Parseltongue anyway?" asked Harry, in mock amazement.

Draco raised his nose in the air and with pride stated, "My father started teaching it to me." Draco lowered his voice and leaned in closer to Harry. "He says that it will be a very useful tool to be able to communicate and understand snakes and other serpents, being that I _am_ a Slytherin. He says that I am very good already. Obviously, better than you." Draco glared at Harry.

Harry frowned as he glared back at his enemy and thought, _I'm sure I know the reason why your father wants you to know this language, too, Malfoy. To better serve your Master. But you do not know the language as well as you think you do._

Norbert had heard quite enough to understand that the Draco human was trying to insult his new friend, Harry Potter. As if in slow motion, Norbert shot his head forward directly at Draco. Crabbe and Goyle, who were eyeing the dragon nervously, tapped Draco's arm, pointed at the dragon when he asked them impatiently what they wanted, and then took off like bats out of hell. 

When Draco realized the dragon was going to attack him he screamed like a baby and started running backwards. He didn't get too far before he tripped and fell flat on his behind. Watching the dragon's head still approaching him he tried to slide backwards, but couldn't get very far, due to his cloak getting snagged on whatever it was that he tripped over. He covered his face with his hands and continued to scream. 

"Norbert, no!" hissed Harry loudly, to stop his new friend from doing something that he could regret….

Norbert's head stopped an inch from Draco's head. Feeling the hot breath of the dragon on his arm he looked out from between his fingers. "Boo," hissed Norbert in Parseltongue. Harry laughed hysterically, knowing that Draco had no clue as to what was going on. Norbert kept his head there breathing his hot breath on Draco's arm for a few more seconds.

Draco realizing that Norbert hadn't eaten him yet, brought his hands down away from his face slightly. Harry stopped laughing and watched his new friend trying to instill fear into his enemy with a look. But emboldened by the fact that the dragon hadn't eaten him, Draco put his hand's down on the ground and was about to get up. Norbert realizing the fact that Draco really didn't fear the look in his eyes, put on the Dragon's Stare, before taking in a deep breath. 

"Norbert, what are you doing?" hissed Harry at the dragon.

"Finding my opportunity," hissed Norbert back to Harry, just after he began taking in his breath. Harry stood there in awe and suddenly smirked. He could hear the dragon's thoughts. He knew what he was about to do. He didn't hesitate. He stepped back. 

The other students who were watching the scene had backed off again, completely unsure about what was about to happen to the repugnant boy from Slytherin. When they saw Harry step back, after Norbert had taken part of his deep breath and said something in Parseltongue, they all followed suit. Except for Draco, who could not take his eyes off of the dragon. Draco knew that something was about to happen, but was frozen to the spot.

As if in slow motion, the mouth of the dragon opened. Draco still frozen to the spot by fear, looked past the huge powerful jaws that most likely spelled out his death, down into the gullet of the dragon that he was sure was about to eat him….

Suddenly a tremendous, horrible roar emitted from the Dragon, making Draco instantly put his hands over his ears. Everyone else followed suit. Draco's face, unbelievably, paled more than usual, as he began screaming at the top of his lungs. He couldn't even hear his own voice above the roar of the dragon. Forgetting to shut his eyes he continued to look straight into the creature's mouth. Draco watched the saliva of the dragon as it was blown out of the dragon's mouth with the sheer force of the roar and landed all over his robes. 

For a full half a minute the roar went on. Then as suddenly as it began, it stopped. He could finally hear his own scream, which he instantly stopped. The dragon's mouth closed, but only slightly. Though Draco's mouth stayed open as if in a silent scream. He was breathing hard and feeling woozy and shaky. Draco paled more, as he did not have any idea what the dragon was going to do next. 

Everyone stood there with their eyes wide and ears ringing. They all watched as Norbert brought his neck back in toward his body and stepped back, retreating to the back of the paddock. He hissed something to Harry, who smiled widely, before curling up into a rather large ball, closing his eyes as if to fall asleep.

Since Norbert had stopped looking at Draco, he realized he could move again. Draco started trying to get up. Harry smirking, tried to help up his shaky enemy, but was pushed away from him. Crabbe and Goyle cautiously approached and lifted Draco to his feet. Once on his feet, he shoved his two big cronies away, realizing too late that he was unable to stand on his own two feet due to his jiggling nerves. He grabbed for Goyle and accidentally pulled the huge boy on top of him. Crabbe ran to assist his friends as the Gryffindor onlookers all got a hearty chuckle over the scene of Goyle sitting on Draco. The Slytherins were all standing there trying to maintain composure, as they all thought the scene was humorous, but didn't want to laugh at someone in their own house, with those from their rival house. 

Once Crabbe had gotten Goyle off of their leader and had pulled Draco to his feet, They looked toward Hagrid with venom in their eyes. "I think yeh'd better take 'im to the Hospital wing," said Hagrid, who was very obviously amused and trying to keep some semblance of composure. Crabbe and Goyle half dragged Draco up to the school. 

Several of the teachers had emerged from the castle to see what had happened. Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, was there as well. As Draco and his cronies approached most of the teachers curled up their noses and stepped as far away from them as they could. Madam Pomfrey directed the boys into the school with her face scrunched up like she had just eaten a lemon and trying to give them a wide berth.

McGonagall came running over to the group to find out what had happened to the Slytherin boy. She looked very cross until she got the entire story explained to her by Hagrid and Harry. The look on her face showed surprise and then a slight amusement before she regained enough composure to state, "Yes, well. I'm sure that the Headmaster will want a full report of this incident. We do not want another magical creature to be needlessly accused and found guilty of something he did not do."

"Tha' would never 'appen, Minerva. This here's a Norwegian Ridgeback. Very rare an' un'er da prote'tion o' da Endangered Magical Creature's Protection Act that were passed las' year. B'sides it were all Malfoy's fault fer not listenin' ter me an' Harry. An' dis time I gots loads o' witnesses dat would back up me story."

McGonagall sighed and nodded. She left swiftly and purposefully. Hagrid turned to the rest of the group who were now eager to learn more about dragons, but as it was time to leave Hagrid dismissed the class. Harry, Ron, and Hermione hung back to talk to Hagrid for a few minutes. They all were curious how Hagrid had managed to get Norbert back to do the lesson.

"After the firs' task las' year, I asked Charlie iffin it would be alrigh' fer me ter borrow a dragon ter teach yeh abou' 'em. He was willin' and we planned it fer the star' o' this year. He had though' it only fittin' dat it should be Norbert, seein' as it had been me that raised him for the first month o' his life, and all. Do he remember dat, Harry? Do yeh know?"

"Yeah, he called you his Papa." Hagrid beamed with pride as tears glistened at the corners of his eyes. "So how long are you going to have Norbert here Hagrid."

"I've gots an agreemen' wid Charlie. Norbert is going ter be here half o' da school year, just so long as there's no problem's wid him. An' wid how Malfoy acted today I be hopin' dat dis won't get 'im in trouble or nothin'."

"Don't worry, Hagrid. We'll vouch for your story. In fact I think all of the Gryffindors will protest to him being sent away," said Hermione. Hagrid smiled at them and told them to be on their way. 

As they walked away from the paddock curiosity got the best of Ron. "Harry, what did Norbert say to you, just before you tried to help Draco up?"

Harry laughed and then said, "Just that he hoped that Draco had a change clothes some place nearby." They all laughed.


	7. Professor Clovis

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Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! Thank you for your comments and compliments, Tim, Lilly, HongMing, and Manateegirl524!!! I'm so glad that you all like it!!!!!! Welcome Lord Master Omega and thank you for your comment!!! I'm so glad you like it!

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CHAPTER SEVEN – PROFESSOR CLOVIS

As they walked back up to the school the Gryffindors were all chatting excitedly not only about their lesson that had just ended, but also about the class that was about to start. Most of them were still recounting the dragon incident and laughing about it. But there were some groups of boys who were talking excitedly about having the class with the New Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Ron and Harry were no different, though Ron kept getting venomous looks shot at him from his girlfriend.

"What do you think that she'll teach us this year?" asked Ron excitedly.

"Well, what have we learned so far? Not much. We are already in our fifth year and we barely know about anything that would be useful in the real world. If she is half as good as I've heard she is, then we are in for a very eventful year," said Hermione, trying to get the boys' minds back onto the class and not on the teacher.

They walked into the classroom and tried to get a seat as close to the front as possible. Just as the class was slated to begin, Professor Clovis breezed into the room, carrying a small briefcase. She put it down on the desk and opened it. She reached into it and pulled out the class list. She looked down the list. 

As she read each name silently to herself, she looked up at each corresponding student. She seemed to pause midway down the list. Instead of looking up at one particular student she looked up and glanced around the room as if searching for something or someone, much as she had done the night before at the welcoming feast. 

When her eyes reached Harry, she stopped. It felt as if her eyes were boring straight through him to his core. Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Despite his discomfort though, he found himself wishing he could drown in those deep blue pools full of life and light. Finally a twinkle, not unlike the one that Dumbledore often had in his eyes when he was looking at Harry, entered her eyes before she returned to the list and continued on as she had before she had looked around for Harry. When she had reached the end of the list, she folded it and put it back in her briefcase before closing it up and placing it on the floor under the desk. 

She pulled out the chair, drew out her wand, and banished the desk and everything on it and around it to the corner of the room. She pushed the chair up closer to the front student desks. She sat down and made eye contact with everyone before she even opened her mouth to speak.

"Good afternoon, fifth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws."

"Good afternoon, Professor Clovis," said everyone with zest.

She smiled. "I know that I am the stranger here, so I thought that I would start off today by telling you a little bit about myself, before we begin the lessons." 

The room was so quiet but full of tension that a pin drop would have been heard and made everyone jump. They hung on her every word as she continued.

"I am from the Boston area in the little state of Massachusetts. I went to the Salem Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry for most of my school career, which was comparably shorter than most witches and wizards in my community. 

"Once I had reached the twelfth grade, which would be the equivalent of the seventh year here, I decided to further my education at the Waldenpond Intense Training College for Higher Education in Sortilege, in other words the W.I.T.C.H.E.S. College near Concord Massachusetts. This was a highly intensified training period where I learned many advanced techniques of magic, including Defense Against the Dark Arts. I went into the American equivalent of the Aurors here in England. For three years of intense service, I used my young age to my advantage. After that I was asked to train new recruits, which enabled me to be here with you now.

"Now I won't lie to you, this will be intense training. But if I understand correctly that the Dark Lord, Voldemort (most of the class winced at the mention of his name) has returned, then intense is exactly what you need. Can anyone tell me what you have learned up to this point?"

To no one's surprise, Hermione's hand instantly shot into the air.

"Yes, Miss Granger…." Hermione was a little startled by the fact that she knew her name without taking traditional role. Professor Clovis simply smiled at the girl as if to reassure her.

"Um… In our first two years we learned the basics. In our third year we learned about most of the Dark Creatures, their tricks and how to counter act them. Last year we learned all about the Unforgivable curses and how to counter the ones that we can."

Professor Clovis' smile had faded. "Anything else?"

Seamus raised his hand with a smirk on his face.

"Yes, Mr. Finnigan."

"We also learned to have CONSTANT VIGILANCE." He yelled the last part effectively making everyone jump out of their skin, except for Professor Clovis.

"I see…." She sat thoughtfully for a few moments and then had them all stand up. She pushed all of the chairs and tables against the wall with the wave of her wand. "From what you are telling me, you really haven't learnt all that much defense. You've just learned to recognize what the dark arts look like. Is that about right?"

Everyone shared looks and most nodded.

"Okay then I guess that I have my work cut out for me…. Would someone be so kind as to participate in a demonstration with me?"

Most of the boys in the class shot their hands into the air, including Ron and Harry. The girls looked extremely put out. Hermione crossed her arms over chest and glared angrily at her boyfriend. Professor Clovis looked around the room and seemed to be about to choose Harry when she suddenly changed her mind. Her eyes landed on Neville.

"Mr. Longbottom…." Most of the rest of the boys groaned and found a place to lean while waiting for the demonstration to start. Neville timidly approached the front of the room where Professor Clovis was standing. When he got there, Professor Clovis leaned in and whispered something to Neville. He looked absolutely terrified, but determined to do well. 

"Okay, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to have Mr. Longbottom here, attack me with a simple spell. When he does, I'm going to make it dissipate before it reaches me…. Neville."

Looking extremely nervous he stuttered out, "P-p-petrificus T-t-totalus." 

Before the spell had even completely left the wand it went up into smoke. Everyone thought that it was a typical Neville blunder, that he must have done something wrong, but after what happened next, it was clear that there was no blunder involved.

"Very good, Neville. Now do you remember what I did?"

Neville nodded.

"Good. Now just do exactly what I did and you'll be fine."

Neville lifted his arm, nervously and pointed it at Professor Clovis. And though very nervous he nodded his head to tell her he was ready. 

She yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!" Instantly the spell left the wand and sped toward Neville. Neville just stood there with his arm out stretched and his wand pointing straight up. He shut his eyes as he saw the spell come at him….

The spell dissipated the moment that it came within two inches of the upturned wand. Neville cautiously opened one eye, then the other. He smiled when he realized that he had done it.

"Very good, Neville. Now, before I tell you how this was done, I wish to explain why I had Neville come up here and demonstrate. I chose Neville for this because most of you believe that he cannot do too much correctly, an image that is unfortunately perpetuated by a few select Professors here. In reality Neville has a lot of potential that he has not learned how to tap into yet, as proven by what you have just seen. This protective charm may seem simple on the surface, but it takes a lot of strength of character and quite a bit of talent to be able to perform this. There is also an element of fear needed. If you are too brazen you will not be able to perform it. That is why I knew Neville would be a good candidate for success. While believing that you can perform this charm is good, if you are overconfident that you can do it, it will not work.

"Now, this charm was one of the most basic of all protective and defensive charms. I wish for you all to practice this as soon as I am finished explaining how to do this, so partner up and please make it with someone from the other house. We don't want you to be with your friends, because that might give you a disadvantage. You need to be unaware of what they could throw at you. Thank you, Neville, you may rejoin your classmates."

She waited for everyone to find a partner and for Neville to return to the group. When she was satisfied that everyone was settled and paying attention to her again, she began. "Okay, now, the movement is all in the wrist…." She showed how her wrist was loose and flexible. "Your wrists must be very mobile. You twist and flip and raise the wand at the end, but you must wait until your partner, or opponent in a real world situation, starts speaking their incantation. 

Now, for a little background on the spell. This charm is one of those rare charms that you need not say anything in order to perform it. It was discovered by Oliver the Ostracized in 1749. As his name suggests, he was an outcast. He decided to go to the United States to escape his reputation as the wizard with the most outrageous views of how the wizarding community at large should be run. When he was on the ship to America, he had a run in with a very burly Muggle. Before he was able to defend himself with his wand the Muggle took out a knife and sliced out Oliver's tongue. 

"From then on the poor wizard had to try to make his way as a mute Muggle. After several years however, some of the old gang of people who had ousted him from England, went to America too. Oliver, having made a very good life for himself as a magical supply shop owner in Salem, was surprised to see one of his old enemies come in, the man thought it was humorous that Oliver could no longer perform magic due to his inability to speak. So he cursed the poor wizard several times and stole from him. 

"This continued for quite some time. Everyday that particular wizard would come in and curse him and steal from him. Finally after about a week where he was constantly being robbed, he took out his old wand and tried to use it, but to no avail. Even so, the next day when that same wizard entered the shop again, Oliver took out his wand and pointed it at the man. He just laughed and taunted him by pointing out the fact that there was no way he could do anything to him, because Oliver couldn't speak. He shot a curse at Oliver just as he had the other days. Oliver, frustrated, started making frantic movements with his wand. He felt a slight surge run through him after a particular movement and found that the spell dissipated before it reached him. 

"Disbelieving what had just happened, the other wizard blinked and threw another spell at him and another and another. Each time Oliver used that same motion that he had used before and each time the curse disappeared. Finally, when the other wizard was thoroughly worn out from throwing so many curses at the man, he left and didn't return.

"So this has been passed down through the years through his family. About 50 years ago when Grindelwald was at his strongest, just before his defeat, this family secret was shared with the Wizarding world. So here it is. Now, please in the remaining 30 minutes I would like to see you all through _simple curses only_ at your partners and you will try to dissipate the spell."

They moved off in their paired up groups. Harry was with a tall boy with brownish hair and a quirky smile, named Terry Boot. Hermione was with Lisa Turpin, a short well built girl with blond hair and blue eyes. And Ron was with Mandy Brocklehurst, a girl with purple eyes and auburn hair that was taller than Ron himself. Ron gulped loudly when he realized that she had not been standing at her full height when he agreed to partner with her.

The curses then began to fly in the room and most of them weren't able to have success with dissipating the curses before they reached them. Chaos seemed to break out as various things were erupting from those that were cursed. Several students fell to the floor in the full body bind. Professor Clovis scanned the scene shaking her head at the writhing students upon the floor. 

In one corner she noticed that there were four groups that were still standing however and holding their own. Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Neville had agreed to be the first to receive the curses. Each time they successfully blocked the curses. That is until Ron let his guard down and let himself get overconfident. Suddenly Ron found that he couldn't perform the charm. And then the chaos finally enveloped that corner of the room.

Ron had not been able to block the full body bind spell and found himself falling backwards. He knocked into Hermione, who was pushed right at Lisa, just as she had let off a curse of her own. And like a domino effect the rest of them went over.

Professor Clovis came down into the room and walked past all of the groups, shaking her head. She came to the back corner where Ron had been and shook her head at him as well. She stepped to the center of the room and said, "Do you see, why you must believe that you can do it without getting overconfident?" She shot a look where Ron was lying flat on the floor next to his writhing girlfriend. "If you had just tried to do it, without believing that you could do better than Neville, thus making you all overconfident, then you would have done just fine. But you chose to believe that because Mr. Longbottom was able to do this that you would have no problems performing this. This is the result. Not one of you is standing, though I must say that I am most impressed with the groups in the back corner. They held out the longest and part of those groups fell not because of their own design, but because of someone else's carelessness. Finite Incantatum." 

The group of students on the floor stood up. They all looked guilty.

"Let us hope that you have all learned a valuable lesson by all of this!" said a very disappointed Professor Clovis. "Now, we have a few more minutes. I would like you all to try it again. One time each. And let's try to do this with a little less pride involved. Shall we?"

They all tried it again, a little more humbled this time, and most of them were able to get it. There were a couple of students who didn't believe that they could do it at all and so were not able to produce the desired effect. The bell rung and those who had been cursed were left behind. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the last to pack up and leave. They watched as the very gentle Professor Clovis used the counter curse of each curse and spoke to each of the students quietly and reassuringly. Just as they were about to leave, Professor Clovis called out to them. They walked to the front of the class and waited while she finished with the last petite Ravenclaw girl that had had the leg locker curse put on her. She was in tears and Professor Clovis hugged the girl and walked her to the door, muttering words of encouragement. When she reached the door she closed it and turned back to the three Gryffindors.

"So, I understand that you have a special class on Thursday evening…," she began.

They all looked at each other with surprise. 

"I must say that I'm very impressed with your performances here today. You all did very well." She glanced at Ron, who had a guilty half-smile on his face. "Yes, even you Ron. You may have gotten a little too confident there at the end, but you all performed very adeptly. As well you all should. Now, I'm teaching the first part of the class on Thursday. So I expect you here at 7pm sharp. Is that clear?" 

They all nodded.

"Dismissed. Good night." She smiled a brilliant smile. Harry felt a little weak in the knees and smiled goofily at her as he turned around to leave with his friends. He turned back and waved at her with a bit more zest than he meant to show. Hermione grabbed his arm and hissed in his ear, "Come on, lover boy." Harry didn't hear a word of her comment, as he let that smile remain plastered firmly in his mind for the rest of the evening.

That night in the common room Harry never even noticed the stares that he was getting from several of his fellow Gryffindors. Harry had completely put the incident in Professor Trelawney's room out of his mind. He sat by the fire seemingly lost in his own thoughts. 

Fred and George came into the common room and dropped a pile of mail in front of Ron. "What's this?" Ron asked his brothers.

"Your mail from this morning. You weren't at breakfast when the mail came, remember?"

"Oh right." He opened his mail, saving the Daily Prophet for last. When he opened up the headline on the front page made him drop the paper. "Harry! Come here!" 

Being drawn out of his reverie by hearing his name, Harry turned toward his friend. Ron ushered him over. Harry got up and meandered to the table. Ron picked up the paper again and spread it open for Harry to see. Harry gasped and grabbed the paper out of Ron's hands as he read:

****

MUGGLE TRAIN ATTACKED!

Early evening yesterday a Muggle train was attacked by the recently Azkaban liberated Dementors. It is reported that there were several Ministry officials that were on that train with their families. Very few were injured, however there were a several "deaths" by Dementor's Kiss. Only a few were able to defeat the Dementors. Though there was a strange report about a ghostly figure of a boy who was fighting off the Dementors fairly successfully at first, but quickly losing ground and being pinned to the back of the train before disappearing. No one could describe the boy as he was seen to be "shimmering", though most felt that the boy was familiar. As many were interviewed the question about the authenticity of this report cannot be totally confirmed and questions were raised by most about the numerous Officials on the train.

****

The reason for the Ministry officials and their families being on the train? There has been an increasing threat of You-Know-Who attacking Ministry officials and their families. As it is well known, this past summer the Weasley's proved to be the first of many attacks on the families of minor Ministry officials. And when his colleges received threats to their families, Arthur Weasley told his colleges to take the threats seriously. Many of these officials went to the minister himself for help and protection.

Despite the increase in attacks and threats, Minister Fudge, however, still refuses to acknowledge that You-Know-Who has returned, thus denying his officials and their families the protection that is so desperately needed at this time. Consequently, those who heeded Arthur Weasley's warning were on the train, as they were trying to get their families to safety the conventional way so as to not rouse any suspicions in the enemy's camp. 

Ministry officials are baffled by how the secret information about the migration to safety got out. It is thought that somehow this information got leaked by somewhere in the ministry because the attack on the train found only ministry officials and their families targeted. The Office of the Minister refused to comment. For a list of Officials and/or their families who were victims of this tragic situation see the Obituary section of this newspaper. – Special Assignment Reporter, Rita Skeeter. 

Harry's mouth dropped open. This sounded exactly like his dream from on the train and the time would have been right…. Could he have really been there?

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione who had just read the article over his shoulder. Both of them seemed to be in as much shock as he was. Harry folded up the paper and took it up to his room and put it in his trunk. When he came back down, he realized that it was quite late and the common room was empty except for Ron and Hermione.

"Can we continue our discussion now, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"What discussion?"

"The one that we were having in the Prefect's Bathroom…"

Harry thought about it. "I can't talk about this right now. I need to figure some things out first before I tell you what happened." He turned on his heel and walked back up to the dorm room. He heard Hermione call after him, but he ignored her and kept going. He got into his pajamas and climbed into bed, pulling the curtains around his bed closed. 

He lay there in the dark recounting all of the day's events. "I think perhaps this is the strangest day I've ever had here at Hogwarts," he muttered to himself. When his mind stopped going through everything that had happened, he found that he was seeing the smile that had occupied him most of the evening. He too smiled, pushed all of his questions and uncertainties out of his mind, and turned over, momentarily falling asleep.


	8. The Advanced Class

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Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

Tim – Thank you for your comments and compliments. You are a most wonderful and enthusiastic fan and I hope that you don't go too crazy!!!!! :-D :-D :-D :-D

Manateegirl524 – I'm so glad that you all like it!!!!!! I hope that I can keep your interest! :-D :-D :-D :-D

Kyntor – Welcome!! and thank you so much for your critique of my work. I truly appreciate you candidness…. and I have to say that though it is probably not reflected well in chapter 6 and won't be throughout the rest of this fic, I totally agree with you. I would like to point out to you one point in chapter six, where it says "_Harry turned to say something to Norbert, when a weird sort of hissing emitted from Draco. Harry almost laughed when he heard what Draco said in an odd sort of botched up mixture of Parseltongue gibberish and English, "Me…. Draco…. You…. Ignorant… serpent." _" What I meant by this statement was essentially the same thing. My thoughts when I wrote this part was not that one could actually _learn how to speak Parseltongue_ but in fact that _one could not learn it_. This part was actually more to show Malfoy's impertinence and trying to show Harry up. Though I never directly indicate this, I tried to imply it, which I obviously did not do well enough. For this I apologize, however I must say that everything into my writing is there for a reason, and is well thought out far in advance of putting it down on paper. I hope that I have not turned you away from my writing because of this and I hope that you will continue to come and read. Once again thank you for your candor and bringing something to my attention that I need to address in the future! 

**__**

CHAPTER EIGHT – THE ADVANCED CLASS

The rest of the week seemed to drag by, though Harry got through it by picturing that smile that always brought a soft smile to his own lips. No amount of taunting or homework brought him down, though it did seem that for a while anyway Malfoy had stopped taunting him. Harry assumed that it was because of his association with a very playfully dangerous dragon. Not to mention all of the questions Harry left unanswered in his mind, he had pushed so far away that they had not resurface.

Not even Snape upset him when he sneered at Harry in his fist day back in double potions lab, where they were to make the Concealing Potion. The Concealing Potion was one that spewed a fog like substance effectively masking your location from an enemy. Once brewed, it needed to sit for about three months in a small vial in order to be effective. It was activated by the vial breaking on impact with the ground, the broken glass enhancing the effect. It was a very complex potion to brew and required full concentration by all.

Before they began brewing the potion though, Snape collected the summer essays. Snape couldn't believe that Harry turned in an essay that was longer than what he had required them to write. He was about to accuse him of cheating until he realized that Harry had in fact witnessed Veritaserum at work at the end of the previous year. Snape snatched the essay out of Harry's hand and mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath that sounded suspiciously like he would find another way to fail him this year.

The rest of that class Snape sneered at Harry and picked on Neville worse than usual. Each time he passed Neville he tried to startle him. The last time that he did this Neville dropped the vial of beetles' eyes, which he had been trying to pour just the right amount into his measuring spoon, into the caldron. Instantly the caldron began bubbling over and turning a nasty blue-black. "Mr. Longbottom, if you cannot keep a firm grasp on the vial, might I suggest that you do not hold it over caldron while you measure out its contents," Snape seethed.

Neville, visibly shaken, nodded and tried to salvage what he could of his potion, fearing that Snape might try to feed it to his toad, Trevor, as Snape usually threatened when he made a mistake like that. He tried desperately to fix the potion without help, as he had practiced with his Gran in the summer to get potions correct, especially when mistakes were made. 

His Gran, a very formidable witch had softened a bit and was extremely worried that Neville would not pass the O.W.L.s, so made sure that she tutored him all summer long. And though he was still very nervous and timid about everything, feeling that he was a squib, he did seem to be better than before, though not by much. The rest of the class went by without any further incident.

Even Divination wasn't as bad. Professor Trelawney still carried the same sad worried look she had always had when she looked at him, but there was a new aspect to her look as well. She now carried a hopeful look that said that she was ready for his next prediction as an oracle. Harry, on the other hand, went to the room prepared…. He had made an agreement with Ron that if he started looking like another prediction was coming on that Ron would jab him with his quill or something else sharp. Not to mention he decided that since his pin seemed to help trigger what happened, that he would not wear it on the days that he had Divination. Thus far he had not regretted that decision. 

But luckily Ron never had to do anything, as the situation never arose. Though Harry's boredom with the Tarot cards, found him staring out the window at the cold, rainy, drafty days that left a chill in the air, even in the little room that they had Divination in. Not to mention that Trelawney would shudder and shake her head sadly whenever Harry drew the Death Card.

"Old Bat…. Doesn't she even read the books that she assigns to us? If she did, she would know that the Death Card doesn't necessarily mean death…. It means that something is coming to an end," yawned Ron.

When Thursday evening finally rolled around, Harry was excited at the prospect of seeing Professor Clovis again. When he, Ron, and Hermione had gotten to the classroom they had a huge surprise in store….

Professor Clovis was not the only Professor standing in the room. There was also Professor Fletcher and Professor Figg, but Professor Figg looked different to Harry and he knew why. After the three months that he had spent at her house during the summer, he knew that it was in fact Amelia that was standing there not Arabella.

"Amelia, what are you doing here? And where is Arabella?" asked Harry excitedly.

"I'm here too!" came a voice from the dark corner at the back of the room. Arabella stepped into the light. 

"What?! Are you both teaching this year?" said Harry utterly confused.

"Yes," they both stated simply at the same time.

"Why?"

Arabella and Amelia looked at each other. Harry knew there must be something, a secret that they knew and weren't telling him, and by the looks that they shared, they seemed to be trying to communicate something without everyone else knowing. Amelia nodded and then they turned back toward Harry.

"We will explain everything with time Harry, but right now we need to wait for the rest of the class to come. So no more questions for now," answered Amelia.

A few moments later a confused looking Neville Longbottom and the rest of the Weasley children, who currently attended Hogwarts, entered the room. As they approached Harry, Hermione, and Ron, Hermione leaned over to Harry and muttered, "That's weird."

"What?" asked Harry softly.

"Never in the history of Hogwarts had there been a class that has had more than one year in it…. I wonder why they are doing this now."

"How do you know?"

Hermione just looked at him with at him with a look of frustrated disbelief.

"Oh, never mind I'll answer that one for you, 'Don't you ever read?' Right?"

Hermione nodded.

"What was that in _Hogwarts a History_, too?"

Again Hermione nodded.

"What's in _Hogwarts a History_?" Ron had come over to hear what they were talking about, but had missed almost the entire conversation.

"Never mind, Ron. I'll be asking about it if they don't explain it in a bit," she said.

"Oh… okay."

The Rest of the Weasleys and Neville had finally reached Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "What's going on? What are we here for?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Didn't you have the special Phoenix symbol on your schedule?"

Fred and George looked at each other and said, "Yes."

"Then you know all that we do at the moment."

"I didn't…," stated Neville.

Hermione looked confused, "Then how did you know to be here now?" She suddenly got a horrified look on her face. "You didn't _follow _us did you?"

"No…. I got a letter with the phoenix on it, yesterday. It took me a whole hour to figure out what to do to make the message reveal itself."

"Oh."

Fred looked over his shoulder at the four professors at the front of the room. "Does anyone know what we're waiting for?"

"Professor Figg just said that we were waiting for the rest of the class to arrive…. When you four showed up I thought that maybe we were all here now, but it would seem that not everyone is here, as they haven't started yet," stated Harry.

Just then two more people walked into the room. Harry took in a deep breath when he saw who they were…. Cho Chang and Nicholas Rockley, the boy whom Harry thought looked like a young Lupin. They were followed in by Dumbledore. Dumbledore nodded to Professor Clovis.

"Okay, everyone if you would please take a seat here." Professor Clovis whipped out her wand and summoned nine chairs and four tables. They all moved to the chairs and sat down. Once they were settled she began, "I realize that all of you are wondering what the purpose of this class is… I believe that the only one who qualified to tell you that is Professor Dumbledore."

"Thank you, Lina. I wish to explain to you a little bit of why you are here. I cannot however tell you everything, as the purpose for you being here is part of the goal of this class. What I will tell you will be this: you are here to discover what all of you have in common. You will have to work closely to one another, as the training that you will receive in this room will be both highly difficult and highly reticent. You must exercise discretion when discussing this training outside of this room. I would suggest that you come in here nightly to practice what you are taught, as many of you will need the extra practice time…."

"But, sir, what about Quidditch practices?" interrupted Harry and Cho at the same time. They looked at each other and shared a shy, sad smile and then looked back at the headmaster, waiting for a response. 

"Yeah," chimed in the Weasley twins.

"Not to worry, Mr. Weasleys, Miss Chang, and Mr. Potter," stated the headmaster formally, "There will be plenty of time to practice." He looked at their confused faces. A soft smile spread across his lips and the twinkle in his eyes grew brighter and more mysterious. "You do, after all, have a Prefect in your group," he said nodding at Hermione. Everyone turned and looked at Hermione. She blushed slightly and Ron beamed at his girlfriend. "The other Professors have been made aware of the fact there will be a group of students that have a late evening class on Thursdays and that they may be out late on other nights for the purpose of practicing…. Now then, are there any other questions?"

Neville very timidly raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Longbottom…."

"Professor Dumbledore, why am I here? I mean, I'm obviously not as talented as the rest of these students. I practically a squib…."

Professor Clovis leaned over to the Headmaster and whispered something in his ear. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and shone with pride for the boy. Smiling he said, "Neville." Neville jumped, never expecting the Headmaster to address him by his first name. "You are not a squib. It has always been my belief that you were blocking your talent, whether intentionally or not, I am not certain. However, I feel that you have begun to show the true wizard that you are. I assure you that you have just as much of a reason to be here as all of the others."

"What about me?" asked the very timid first year. "I've just begun to learn magic… How could I have possibly shown enough talent by now to be here?" Nicholas swallowed hard and licked his lips nervously.

"And me, Professor?" asked Cho. "Why am I here? I'm the only one who is not a Gryffindor here."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled mischievously and he smiled again at the three who had asked the questions. "Again, I will say that it is up to you to discover the true reason that you are all here. You will be taught many difficult things here. And I have every confidence that you are up to the challenge of learning them. Now, if you will excuse me I must return to my other duties." He turned abruptly and left the room, smiling at each of them as he passed them along the way out.

"Okay, now," Professor Clovis summoned several books to land in front of each student. "These will be your texts. They will be blank to anyone other than yourselves. You will have to tap them with your wands to reveal the information stored within their pages. Once you tap the book you must say 'Profero Evolutio'. It is a very advanced spell that will only show what is written there to you. So even if you were to sit in your common rooms and read them, no one would know what was written there."

Hermione raised her hand and Professor Clovis pointed at her and nodded. "Would they appear blank to others or show something different altogether?" asked Hermione.

"Very good, Hermione. Excellent question. I was just coming to that. When you say your charm, you must also be thinking about something that you would like to read, for that will be what anyone who happens to look over your shoulder and see. So please choose wisely, as it will reveal _anything_ that you are thinking about when you say your spell." Professor Clovis looked directly at Ron with a knowing smirk on her face. Ron's eyes flew open wide and face turned bright red up to the very tips of his ears. He looked down at the floor as his cheeks amazingly got almost brighter red than his hair.

Fred and George took note and started chatting amongst themselves briefly.

Professor Clovis continued, "Now, as you can see, there are four of us at the moment who are going to teach you. The advanced techniques and knowledge that you will learn in this room will be from a wide range of subjects. Now you all know me already, but the rest of the Professors have not been formally introduced to you, so without further adieu, I will step aside so that they may introduce themselves to you and what you are to learn from them…."

Professor Fletcher stepped forward. His raspy, but very authoritative voice boomed across the room, "I am Professor Mundungus Fletcher. I will be teaching you advance potions and how to combine certain potions with certain charms to obtain a greater yield and outcome with them. 

"I am aware that Professor Snape has stated that there is no need for a wand when brewing potions, however that is not altogether true. There are some that benefit from a charm enhancement. I will be teaching you every fourth week starting next week. And Mr. Longbottom, while I am aware of you history in Professor Snape's potions lessons, I believe that you _will_ be able to conduct yourself well here…."

It was Neville's turn to turn bright red, as Professor Fletcher stepped back.

Amelia stepped forward, "I am Professor Amelia Figg. Now while I am aware that you all met my sister during the welcoming feast, and not me, there is a good reason for that. As you can see we are identical twins. Only those who know us well can tell us apart." She turned and winked at Harry, who smiled. "My sister is the more experienced witch. This is why she is the known professor and I am not. I realize that not much of this makes sense right now, but as the year progresses, everything will become clear to you as to why this arrangement is important. Now, if you see me outside this room, you will address me as if I am Arabella, my sister. Is that clear?" 

Everyone nodded. 

"Good. I will be teaching you advanced charms and help you to fine tune the control of your magic…." 

She glanced at Harry, whose eyebrows just raised. It had only been a few days that she had had her new wand. _How could she possibly know everything that she needs to know to teach that subject?_ he thought. 

"Those of you that know me will wonder why I'm teaching that particular subject. That will all be revealed in time. I will be teaching this subject every fourth week starting the third week of classes." She smiled broadly at the confused look on Harry's face

She stepped back as her twin stepped forward. "I am obviously Professor Arabella Figg, as my wonderful twin so eloquently pointed out…." 

She smiled at her sister. 

"Now I have perhaps the most daunting and difficult task of teaching you how to expand your minds. This talent is used to tap into many different talents, particularly with the mind's eye and divination." 

Hermione rolled her eyes thinking,_ Oh great, that will be a colossal waste of time._

"Actually, Miss Granger, I think that you will find that it is not a waste of time at all…."

Hermione's jaw dropped and she turned red, "H-how- how d-did you know…?" 

"Quite simply, my dear. It will be something that you will learn this year. Now I will teach you every fourth week starting in the fourth week."

She stepped back and Professor Clovis stepped forward again, "Now, I know that it only says Thursday nights on your schedule. However, we will be adding evenings to the class schedule." She saw that Harry, Cho, and the Weasley twins were about to protest. She continued quickly, "And before you worry about Quidditch practices, we will work around them."

All the Quidditch players in the room relaxed. Professor Clovis continued, "I will be teaching you advanced techniques in defense, which will begin tonight… So without further adieu I think we should start." The other Professors silently left the room as she began the lesson.

"One of the most advanced types of defense is the ability to shield oneself from a spell. You will learn in your regular Defense Against the Dark Arts class about how to dissipate and deflect unfriendly spells, with a wand. This magic is flawed however, because you can only dissipate or deflect one spell at a time.

"The ability to make a shield is a much higher magic. It can be used to deflect many spells at once. Thus, while it is more difficult to do, it uses less of the magic in you, thereby giving you an advantage over someone who does not know how to protect themselves with a shield. Only the basic shields can be made with a wand. The more advanced shields are a combination of casting the initial spell with the wand and maintaining the shield without the wand…"

"You mean to tell us that you think that we are good enough to do wandless magic!" stated Neville in disbelief. Nicholas started shaking his head. He still didn't understand how he, a first year, could have been chosen for this group.

"Yes, Mr. Longbottom, that is exactly what I'm saying…. Though not many of you will master it completely. And what you will be learning in this class, this year will be basic wandless magic. Nothing too extensive. The more advanced techniques will be next year. But you are the most likely candidates of all in the school."

"Sure if I make it through this year that is," muttered Neville.

"What was that, Mr. Longbottom?"

"Erm… surely we're not as good as some of the seventh years, or at least I'm not…. They are far more advanced than we are," said Neville. The others in the room who really knew Neville were shocked by his forthright comments, as he had never been that assertive before. "I don't even know what I'm doing here…." He went to get up and leave, but was quickly knocked back into the seat as the chair moved forward. 

"Neville, just as Dumbledore said, we are _all _here for a reason, and that includes myself and the other Professors…. We have not yet discovered the reasons for our being here either. But we have, _all of us_, been drawn here for a yet undisclosed purpose. So just as none of us are going to get out of this, neither are you. You are a very strong wizard if you would just let yourself be…. You need to look inside yourself and find out why it is that you feel that you are not." 

Neville looked hard at Professor Clovis with his mouth open. He couldn't believe that she had that much faith in him. All he ever did was screw up. She didn't even know him. But sitting there looking into her eyes, something suddenly dawned on him. "It's because of my parents," he said softly more to himself than to anyone else. Everyone continued to stare at him. All but Harry had confused looks on their faces. Harry knew the truth about what had happened to his parents. 

Professor Clovis not missing a beat and hearing what Neville had said, continued to keep eye contact with Neville. She gently prodded him to go on with why his parents were holding him back, with her mind.

"My father was an Auror. He was very successful at his job and was able to get many of the unwilling Deatheaters to be brought out of the Imperius Curse that had been placed upon them. He even brought in several of You-Know-Who's highest regarded and most trusted Deatheaters. When You-Know-Who was destroyed by Harry, the Deatheaters, who were vindictive and wanted information and revenge, chose to grab my father and mother coming out of a restaurant on their anniversary. They tortured my mother and father, for both satisfaction and the information that they thought my father possessed…." Neville's voice faltered a little and quivered as he continued. "My mother was tortured the worst. The Deatheaters felt that if they tortured my mother in front of my father that he would give up the information sooner." His voice softened still more. "I was with my Grandmother at the time. And that is where I stayed. I visit them and see the blank stares that show me that they are trapped in their own minds by pain, torture, and torment. They don't even recognize me…. I vowed that I would not ever be in a place where someone would suffer by my success. I do not blame my father, I just don't want to be like him…." 

Neville spoke in a single stream of consciousness as if he were in some sort of trance. He barely took a breath the whole time that he spoke. But when he finished he looked around with wide eyes full of confusion, and yet wisdom. He sat back and seemed to be trying to take in what he had just said. In fact, every person in the room seemed to be shocked and in a state of disbelief. Suddenly questions burst forth from the others about Neville's parents. Neville looked around at them trying to figure out what to answer first.

There was only one person in the room that was left silent. Harry had been hit strongest by Neville's words, even though he had known the basics of what had happened to Neville's parents. He had found out about it in the previous year. He had had a particularly bad vision where Voldemort had hexed Wormtail and had woken up in Divination to a burning in his scar. As he had been told by his Godfather, he went directly to the Headmaster, where he had interrupted a conversation between the Minister of Magic, Fudge, Barty Crouch the intruder disguised as Mad-Eye Moody who had helped to deliver Harry into the hands of Voldemort, and Dumbledore. 

When Dumbledore had invited him into his office, then Dumbledore and the others took their conversation elsewhere, leaving Harry alone in the room. While Harry was alone in Dumbledore's office, he had noticed a glowing light. That light had turned out to be a Pensieve, a shallow stone basin that kept within it Dumbledore's memories and thoughts. 

It was there in the Pensieve that he had heard about whom young Barty Crouch had been and the fact that he had been caught subjecting Frank Longbottom, Neville's father, to the Cruciatus Curse, though young Crouch denied it completely. When Dumbledore had brought him back out of the Pensieve, Harry asked Dumbledore about what he had seen. Dumbledore conveyed that what had happened and that it was indeed Neville's father that had been referred to in the memory that Harry had visited. 

However Harry had not heard the version of events that Neville had just spoken about, all he had known was that the Deatheaters had taken Neville's parents, that they been tortured, and were now in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. With this new version of events, he felt in some way responsible for what had happened. 

Harry put his head down in his arms on the desk. It was the first time since the middle of the summer, that Harry's feelings of guilt at everything that had to do with Voldemort overtook him. He squeezed his eyes shut to keep the tears that were burning in his eyes from emerging. Hermione and Cho, who were sitting on either side of Harry, placed their hands gently on his arms. Harry did not realize that all talking had stopped in the room and all eyes were on him. He felt as if his chest was about to burst open, and he didn't care if it did.

He swallowed hard against the growing lump in his throat. He was determined not to give into the emotions that threatened to take over his whole being. He knew logically that he was not to blame for what had happened. But on the other hand, if he had never caused the downfall of Voldemort, then Neville's parents would not be where they were today.

Harry became aware of the gentle weight of the hands that were resting on his two arms and a voice broke through his thoughts. "Harry?" said Professor Clovis. Harry tried one last time to blink back the tears before he slowly lifted his head up to look into the concerned eyes of the beautiful Professor. "Are you alright? You seem a little pale."

"I-I'm n-not feeling that well right now…." 

"Would you like to go to the hospital wing?"

"No, I'll be all right. I just need to put my head down for a minute." Harry gave her a soft, strained smile.

She smiled. "All right, Harry."

Harry put his head back down and tried to listen to what Professor Clovis was saying to get his mind off of what was running around in his head, but ever her flamboyant voice was not enough to keep his mind on what she was saying. His mind wondered back to the pain that he had caused Neville, Cedric Diggory's parents, Hermione, the Weasleys, and, most of all, the woman who was sitting next to him, the woman that he had seen crying after Cedric's death the previous year, Cho. He thought about the fact that his parent's had died to protect him. All of this began to overwhelm him again. 

He found his eyes wet. He told himself what he knew was true, that it was not his fault that this had happened. But his heart ached so much for the pain that had been inflicted around on the people in his life. _Why?!_ his mind screamed. He closed his eyes again and a couple of tears fell onto his glasses. He took several deep breaths and pushed all of the pain and sadness away. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

After Harry put his head back down for a bit, Professor Clovis continued. She had given the entire history of how shields were developed, by the time Harry felt that he was ready to lift his head and face the rest of the class. Professor Clovis looked into his emerald eyes as he lifted his head, and smiled at him. She saw that his face and glasses were slightly damp. But he seemed to be a little better. He smiled weakly in return.

"Okay… now that you understand the history of shields, I would like to take the next half an hour of this class to demonstrate how to do the most basic of them. Then for the last half an hour, I would like you to pair up and try them. I would like you to choose someone that you have never worked with before and keep them as your partners until our next class. You will be quizzed on the reading that I assign and the shields that we work on tonight."

She took out her wand. "Neville would you care to help me demonstrate again?" Neville nodded, still in awe of what he had figured out, and came to the front of the room. "Okay, now, throw that a simple spell, if you please, once I indicate that I am ready. Now, for the most part, the incantation to make a shield appear is going to have the word 'Castraorum' in it, which means temporary fortification in Latin. There will be other words in it to explain the size and purpose of the shield. For instance…." She lifted her arm and held it straight out in front of her. She nodded at Neville. "Minimus Castraorum Diffundo!" A small piece of what looked like clear looking film formed in front of her head and upper torso.

Neville yelled, "R-rictusempra!" Emboldened by his success in Professor Clovis' other class, he attempted to do a spell that he had never tried to do before.

As the spell left Neville's wand the strange clear film seemed to expand to cover the entire front of Professor Clovis. The spell sped toward her, but as soon as it hit the film in front of her it seemed to begin to spin and the spell broke up and disappeared.

Excited chatter started up all over the room. Even Harry was able to enjoy the demonstration in fact it had effectively pushed the last remnants of what had been bothering him completely from his mind. 

Professor Clovis showed them two other shields before she asked them break up into pairs. No one moved, they just looked around the room trying to figure out whom to work with. Professor Clovis sighed and said, "Alright, since most of you know each other well, I'll make this easier…. I will break you into pairs. But first, who would be willing to work with Nicholas, as he is fairly new to the magic world?"

Harry instantly shot his hand in the air. He had been looking for an opportunity to talk to the first year since he had seen him get sorted. This seemed to be the perfect chance to do so.

"Good, thank you, Harry. Now, let's see. There will have to be one group of three so… Hermione, you and Ron should team up with one of the twins and Cho, you, Ginny, and Neville will be a group. Please get into your groups and try to perform these simple shields."

Nicholas stood there in awe for a moment as Harry approached him and held out his hand to introduce himself, "Hi. I'm – " 

"Harry Potter," Nicholas finished for Harry breathlessly. "I'm honored to work with you." He grabbed his and hand shook it enthusiastically.

"Why's that?"

"Well, because your Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. I've been wanting to meet you since I was sorted into Gryffindor, but you've never been around in the common room when I have."

"Really? I was think the same thing about you…."

"You wanted to meet me?" Nicolas asked incredulously.

"Sure. Why not?"

"Well, because…. You're Harry Potter!"

"Just because I'm Harry Potter, doesn't make me better than anyone else…."

"And so humble too…. So why did you want to meet me?" he asked breathlessly.

"Well, because you remind me of some one I know…. I was just wondering if you could tell me bit about yourself," Harry said mysteriously. 

The boy flamboyantly began to explain about his history in complete awe of the fact that Harry had shown such an interest in him. "I was raised with my mom and step dad. I never knew who my real father was, but my mother still loves him very much and still weeps for him, at times late at night when she thinks I'm sleeping. My step dad is great. I never knew I was a wizard until I got my letter…." He continued for several minutes this way, barely stopping to take breaths in between phrases. 

Harry was interested, because it seemed that there was a possibility that he could be right about this boy being Lupin's son, especially since he had no idea whom his real father was. Nicholas then began to bombard Harry with questions about his past, between the time when he became famous and when he came to school.

"To be honest there's not really much to tell. But I think I should wait until some other time to tell you, because we should be practicing the shields."

"True. Okay." They practiced together. Harry spent a lot of time teaching Nicholas the finer points on how to hold his wand commandingly and casting viable charms. Harry tried to cast the shields a few times and Nicholas tried to do a charm, but it didn't seem to work. Harry patiently and gently tried to explain what the first year had done wrong. All the while the boy looked at Harry with Hero worship in his eyes, still in disbelief over the fact that he was working with Harry Potter.

When the end of class finally came, Professor Clovis drew her attention back to the front of the room. "Now, I want you to all to be able to demonstrate the ability to do these shields when next we meet in four weeks…. That should be ample enough time to get the basic idea of how to get one to stay long enough to protect you from basic charms. Dismissed. Oh, Harry would you stay behind for a moment?"

In Harry's mind a debate was going on. He really wanted to stay alone with the beautiful teacher. But he also had thought since his chat had gone so well with Nicholas, that he would try to talk to Cho to see if there were any way that she could forgive him for what had happened at the end of the last school year. He finally decided that he should listen to his Professor and stay. So in a half-hearted way he said, "But what about curfew?"

"I'll circle back for you, Harry," said Hermione.

"Okay. Thanks."

He stepped up to the front of the room. "You needed to see me?"

She summoned two chairs and sat down in one of them. Harry followed suit. "Harry…. I wanted to talk to you for two reasons." 

"Okay…. One?"

"One, I wanted to say thank you to you for taking Mr. Rockley under your wing. There are not many fifth years who would have had the patience and understanding with him that you did…." She looked at him and there was something about the look that seemed almost inviting.

After a few moments passed between them Harry realized he was staring at her and blushed profusely. He glanced at the floor and muttered, "It was nothing really."

"No, it wasn't nothing, Harry. I think that you could make a very good teacher one day."

"I don't know about that…." He looked up at her again, blushing again, and changed the subject. "And two?"

"Oh, yes, two…. Are you sure that you are all right?" she asked with a very concerned look upon her face.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"I'm sure that you have noticed that I seem to know each of you very well, correct?"

"Well, yes."

"I have the abilities that you will be learning from Arabella this year. I know many things about most of you because your minds are open and easy to read, but, I must admit, I can't _always_ read them." She glanced at him again with the same look as before.

"Oh?" asked Harry trying not to blush again. He had to admit that he was a bit curious where this conversation was leading, because if she had been able to read his thoughts she would know that he was feeling better.

"Yes. There are but a few, in this school who seem to have the ability to block out any interference. And you seem to be one of them. And I just wanted to offer to you an unbiased person to talk to, if you ever need to…. Because I know it is hard to find a person here that doesn't know who you really are." She placed her hand on his arm. Her touch though gentle and light seemed to send electricity through to his very core.

"Erm…th-thank you," he stammered. He looked into her eyes and smiled. She smiled her genuine warm smile that made him feel like his legs were made of jelly. He was almost afraid to stand up for fear that his legs wouldn't hold his weight. 

He managed to stand up and walk out of the room, turning back at the door and smiling at her once again. He leaned on the door for a few seconds trying to make himself leave, but unable to take his eyes from her face he just stood there. 

Hermione opened the door and Harry nearly fell through the doorway and onto the ground, but he caught himself at the last minute. Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Are you ready to go now?"

With one final glance back over his shoulder he said, "Yes." They made it back to the common room in record time, and Harry immediately decided to go up to bed, seeing the two lovebirds cuddling on the couch in front of the fire. For a moment Harry had a pang a jealousy, when he looked at them. _They are so lucky to have each other,_ he thought. He walked sadly up to his room, muttering words of good night to his two best friends, who were almost too wrapped up in each other to notice him leaving for bed. Looking at them, Harry began to feel so alone. And though he knew he was being irrational about it, he couldn't stop himself thinking that he was suddenly just the third wheel.


	9. Deadly Nightshade

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Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

**__**

CHAPTER NINE – DEADLY NIGHTSHADE

For a few weeks after their first advanced class, they had practiced every night that they weren't at class. Professor Clovis had informed them that, for the time being the classes would increase to three nights a week, that way each of the Professors were able to fit in everything that they needed to. Their schedule ended up being Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays in the evening. They all enjoyed learning all of the different methods of advanced magic. 

Advanced potions with Professor Fletcher had been surprisingly much easier than regular potions, though still extremely difficult. They all figured that this was because they did not have Snape looking over their shoulders threateningly. Even Neville had found that Advanced Potions was easier, in fact so much easier that he found the confidence of that class spilling over into regular potions.

Harry had been surprised about how much Amelia had learned. She taught them some really interesting defense charms, to be used only when they were in peril. The charms were unknown to the community at large and very difficult to perform. They went to Amelia often to have her help them get the proper wand waving techniques.

They were all excited for the up coming week, as they were about to begin with Arabella, and the idea that they would be able to read other people's mind fascinated them. As Harry thought about the advanced classes coming up that week he also thought about Cho and smiled. 

Harry had finally gotten the chance to talk with Cho after the first evening they came back from a particularly difficult, but interesting, lesson with Professor Fletcher. As they left they chatted excitedly about the new improved Veritaserum, that would not only get the drinker to answer direct questions, but would also make the drinker give all classified or hidden information about something, when activated with a charm. The prospects of it were incredible, because most spies that worked for the ministry had grown immune to the old potion, as had most of the older followers of Voldemort. 

As they walked and talked on, Harry had noticed that Cho was walking behind everyone with her head down. He decided to slowly drop back to her position. She had been so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she had not even noticed that Harry was walking next to her. Harry tried to open his mouth to speak to her several times and hadn't been able to say a word. Finally after a full minute of him walking next to her, he had been able to find his voice. Very timidly and quietly he had said, "Cho, are you okay?"

Cho had jumped finally realizing the he was there. "Yeah, I guess so…"

"You seem really down."

"I'm…. I…. I'm not sure. I guess I sort of feel really left out…. All of you are Gryffindors, and for the life of me I cannot figure out what the reason is that I am here. I mean Dumbledore says that it is for us to discover, but I can't think of any reason why…."

Harry had hesitantly put his hand on her arm and had said, "Well, there has to be a reason somewhere. You just haven't discovered it yet…."

"Thanks, Harry." She had smiled and looked up into his eyes. He had not been sure if she actually had seen something in his eyes to say what she did next but she blurted out, "You know, I don't blame you, don't you?"

"Come again?"

She had turned her eyes back toward the ground and had said, "You know I don't blame you for Cedric's death. Don't you? I understand that it was You-Know-Who's fault not yours."

"Actually, I wasn't sure…. But thanks. It's good to know…." 

After that, Harry found himself getting very close to everyone in the group, especially the two girls. Cho and Ginny made him laugh almost every night, though there was some sadness that never seemed to leave him, and though they didn't know exactly why they figured, correctly, that it had partially to do with his two best friends who had become a couple.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry avoided being with the couple as much as possible outside of classes and practices, something that Ron and Hermione, in Harry's eyes, seemed not to notice. But soon his mind was brought to other things. One dreary day after a particularly difficult double potions lesson where Snape had intentionally tried to trip up the Gryffindor students several times, he came back to the common room before lunch to drop off his books and noticed that there was a crowd around the bulletin board. 

Harry waited until some of the students had cleared away before he tried to see what was up on the board. There were two announcements up. One was telling them that a week from Saturday was going to be the first trip to Hogsmeade. The other was announcing the Quidditch tryouts for the upcoming Saturday and a meeting for current team members promptly at 6:30pm the next night. Harry didn't know how that was going to work. He, Fred, and George had class at 7. He looked and saw that Professor McGonagall had signed the sheet. He decided that after class that afternoon that he would talk to her about it.

Harry went to lunch and was surprised to see that Ron and Hermione were not yet there. But just figuring that they were off somewhere in some secret rendezvous, he just shrugged it off and sat down to eat lunch. When he was half way through eating his second sandwich, Ron and Hermione came in to the Great Hall and sat down on either side of Harry.

Harry looked at both of them, confused and swallowed hard. "What's up?" he asked looking back and forth between them.

"Harry, don't 'What's up?' us. We're your best friends. We know that something is bothering you…. You've been avoiding us for days now. And we want to know why," stated Hermione plainly.

Harry looked back and forth between them a few times, before his eyes landed on his plate. They had just asked the one question that he didn't know how to answer without hurting them…. Hermione and Ron watched Harry's face as they saw that there was a battle raging within him.

"Harry…" Hermione began, placing a hand on his arm gently.

"It's nothing," stated Harry coldly and flatly, making Hermione jump back and remove her hand from his arm. Harry realized that his statement had come out harsher that he had meant it to. "I'm sorry. But really, it's nothing," he said in a softer and gentler tone.

"Are you sure?" asked Ron, speaking for the first time since they had sat down.

He looked at Ron and smiled. "Yeah. I'm just starting to feel the stress of it all, you know, starting to finally realize how right Hermione was about how difficult this year is going to be with the O.W.L.s coming up. Not to mention, the other things that I'm trying to figure out." Harry knew that this was not entirely true, but it wasn't exactly a lie either. "Sorry if I've been distant lately, mate." He smiled sadly at Ron and then turned to Hermione and smiled at her too. 

She smiled back, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. After all, most of the last week of the summer vacation, she had spent a lot of time with him. She knew what he was saying was true to a point, but suspected that there was something more to it than what Harry was saying. She left it alone for the moment, but she was determined to find out what it was that was bothering him.

They ate in silence and when Harry was finished with his sandwich he got up. "See you in class. I've got to do something before it…." He smiled and walked away. Ron and Hermione stared after him and then turned and shared a knowing look. They decided that the conversation that they just had with Harry was definitely far from over. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry went back to the dorm and grabbed his books. He decided he would go early to Transfiguration to see if Professor McGonagall was there to talk to her then instead of after, making him possibly run late for Herbology. As he walked his mind wandered back through the conversation that he had just had with Ron and Hermione. He wanted to tell them how he felt jealous of their relationship and of the time that they spent with each other, but he didn't want to be a burden or a third wheel to them, so he kept it locked up inside. 

That was not the only thing that preoccupied his thoughts these days either. He truly hadn't lied to Ron and Hermione when he said that many questions were bothering him. The questions that he had pushed away after his visions and prediction had begun to resurface. It made for very difficult sleeping. Most nights, for some time now, he had barely made it through the night. 

He had not had another vision for a while, which he supposed was a good thing in one way, but it also meant that he was not getting any answers either. He had been very careful to not wear both his pin and his ring to Divination, because he did not wish to have another vision in Professor Trelawney's presence. Though she did seem to go back to her old self, predicting his death in every class, remaining a recluse in her classroom, and looking at him with the sad worried look that she had always carried just for him. 

He had decided right then and there that that night he would ask Hermione for permission to use the Prefect's bathroom so that he could work some things out. Trying to push those thoughts from his mind, he let his mind wander to other things. Where they landed had been a place that his thoughts seemed to have dwelt more and more these days, in the places that he was most comfortable being and with whom.

Truthfully the only true comfort Harry had felt he got, currently, was the time that he spent in class with Professor Clovis, and in his mind. Harry smiled as the bewitching blue pools that held the reflection of her soul, flitted through his mind and etched into it briefly. He couldn't wait to get into the class and stare into the real pools instead of the ones in the image in his mind. Harry mentally shook himself after that thought. He should not be having those thoughts about a Professor. 

Pushing the thoughts about the young, beautiful professor from his mind, he allowed his mind to wander to the other two women who had gained access to his heart, Cho and Ginny. Though he felt very strongly that the girl that he had thought of more as a sister for the past four years should sort of remain that way, mainly because she was his best friends younger sister. He shuddered to think what would happen if he ever mentioned to his best friend how he felt about his younger sister. 

So that left Cho, the first girl that he had ever had a crush on, and yet…. He felt closer to her now as a friend and though she did not blame him for Cedric's death, he did. Unfortunately Harry felt that that could always be something that was left between them. So that did not leave very many options open to him at the moment. 

When he realized that yet again his thoughts had become a debate about which woman he would like to give his heart to, he mentally kicked himself. He couldn't understand why most of his thoughts seemed to dwell on the women around him. He had never had that much trouble focusing on his schoolwork and classes before, but now…. He was so distracted by these thoughts that, he had just walked by the Transfiguration classroom. He frowned, turned around, and retraced his steps to the room.

He walked in and saw that Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk correcting papers. She looked up as he approached with a look of surprise on her face. "Good afternoon, Potter. You're certainly early for class today…."

"Actually, I'm early because I wanted to talk to you about something, if you're not too busy…."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I know that Professor Dumbledore has told all of the Professors about the fact that there would be some students that would be roaming around late some nights due to a late class that they are taking…."

"Yes."

"Well, I'm in that group and so are the Weasley twins…"

"Yes, I am well aware of that. What is your point about all of this?"

"Erm, yes…. One of those classes is on Thursdays and it starts at 7pm."

"Your point, Potter," she said getting a little bit irritated.

"Tomorrow is Thursday and you planned the Quidditch team meeting for 6:30pm tomorrow. And I was wondering…."

"You were wondering why it was on that night and not on Friday instead…"

"Exactly. How can we have a meeting if half of the current team can't be there…"

"The whole reason why I planned it for 6:30 is so that you and the Weasley twins would be able to attend between a quick dinner and your class tomorrow evening. It won't be a long meeting, just one to touch base with you about the tryouts and a few other odds and ends. I have other business to attend to on Friday night. And since you also have class tonight and I have a faculty meeting, it could only be tomorrow night."

"Oh, okay then. Thank you for your time. Sorry to bother you." He turned on his heel and went to sit down at his assigned table. Professor McGonagall went back to correcting papers, until Ron burst in making her jump clear out of her skin.

"Harry!" yelled Ron excitedly, as he ran toward his friend. 

Harry looked at Professor McGonagall and saw that she had her hand on her chest, taking in deep breaths as if to settle herself. Her eyes were wide in alarm. Harry turned to Ron's approaching form and said, "Erm, Ron…." 

"Here you are! I've been looking all over for you!" 

"Oh really? That's-that's nice. But, erm, Ron…" 

Unfettered Ron continued, "Harry! Did you see?"

Knowing about how excited Ron had been all summer and for the start of the year about the Quidditch tryouts, Harry figured that he had just seen the signup sheet. "Yes, I think I did, but…." He glanced back at Professor McGonagall who had sat back in her chair and looked thoroughly annoyed now. Harry looked back at Ron and tried to nod toward Professor McGonagall subtly. 

Completely missing Harry's signals, Ron went on, "The Quidditch tryouts are this Saturday!!"

"Yes, I know, Ron, but…."

"I can't wait! Oh, I've already signed up to tryout!" 

"That's great, but…."

He plopped down next to his best friend and continued to chatter excitedly about the tryouts. Harry kept trying to give him signals about Professor McGonagall, but in his excitement Ron saw none of them. 

"So, how are they going to work? Not that you can really tell me, but…. Oh, I can't wait!"

"MR. WEASLEY!" Ron jumped out of his skin and turned, finally realizing that Professor McGonagall was sitting there. "I understand your enthusiasm… but I am trying to work here and would appreciate it if you would either take it your conversation elsewhere or take it down a notch."

Ron swallowed hard. "Sorry, Professor…" he said practically in a whisper. He remained quiet for the rest of the time before class started.

As they left Transfiguration, Ron picked up where he had left off before Professor McGonagall had scolded him. Hermione walked slightly behind listening to Ron's excitement and shaking her head the entire time. It was evident by the look on her face that she was frustrated. _If only he'd show that much excitement for learning magic,_ she thought.

Even during herbology when they were learning how to care for the Wizard's Deadly Nightshade plant, as beautiful, but more deadly than, as its mundane cousin, Ron continued to chatter. The Wizard's Deadly Nightshade was one that had the ability to blend into it's environment, especially at night, had deadly, poisonous spikes that were thrown at someone or something if it felt threatened. Finally when Hermione's Nightshade had begun to shake, a tell tale sign of its fear and annoyance, Hermione stepped away from her plant and grabbed her boyfriend by the collar, dragging him to the corner away from all of the Nightshade plants.

In a low growling voice she told him that he needed to focus. "If you had been listening instead of chattering, you would have heard Madam Sprout say that the plant feels threatened when there is a lot of chatter around it. My plant started shaking, which means it was about to throw its deadly spikes at me. Now, if you don't mind, I would really like it if you would – shut – up." She was about to walk away when Ron grabbed her and kissed her. "What was that for?" she asked a little less forcefully than she had been speaking before.

"To say I'm sorry and…."

"And?"

"You're really sexy and beautiful when you're angry."

Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes, "Oh Ron…. You're incorrigible."

He whispered into her ear, "Yes, but you like me that way…."

She giggled and they returned to their plants. Ron remained quiet for the rest of class, though he kept glancing over at his girlfriend. Every time that he did she would giggle a little, which lulled the plant into a much more serene state, as genuine happy laughter was the only thing to quell the plant once it was irritated. Harry sat brooding in front of his plant, which once again drew the attention of Ron and Hermione. Harry was going through the motions of taking care of and harvesting the plant, but was not really paying attention to what he was doing.

Hermione noticed that as Harry was adding soil to the pot, his hand was getting dangerously close to one of the plant's spikes and he hadn't put his Dragon Hide gloves back on before beginning to add the soil. Hermione knew that one pierce of the tip of it could kill Harry. She got up slowly to warn him of it, not wanting to startle him. Just as she was about to say his name, Harry moved his hand and the end of the spike disappeared, deep into his flesh. He yelped.

Instantly, Harry felt his head spinning as he dropped to the floor and began convulsing. Hermione watched as the color completely drained from Harry's face before he dropped to the floor. She screamed and Ron ran to get Madame Sprout. As Ron returned with Madam Sprout, she was yelling, "Didn't he have his Dragon Hide Gloves on?" Ron shook his head emphatically, afraid to speak with the growing lump in his throat. 

Just as Madam Sprout reached him, Harry's convulsions stopped. She bent down and touched his cold skin. She opened his eyes to look at the pupils and shook her head. "Well, there's nothing we can do now…. I'm sorry," she said, looking sympathetically at Hermione and Ron. 

They just stood there in shock, as she conjured a stretcher and levitated his body on to it. "Class is dismissed for today, as I need to speak to the Headmaster about this. I would only ask that you all be discreet about this incident until the Headmaster has addressed the school about it. Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, I would appreciate your accompaniment to the Headmaster's office, so that he understands exactly what has caused this tragedy." The students began to leave, but Madam Sprout stopped Ernie Macmillan, a stout Hufflepuff boy, and said, "Mr. Macmillan, if you would please go and inform Minerva McGonagall she is needed in the Headmaster's office, at once, due to the death of a student…. I believe she will be held up in her classroom…." 

Ernie nodded his head, in as much shock about the situation as the rest of the students and left swiftly to do his appointed task….

Once all of the other students had left, the shock had worn off and grief took over. Hermione threw herself to the floor next to the conjured stretcher with Harry's body on it. She wept openly, feeling that somehow it was her fault for not getting to him fast enough. Ron bent down and pulled her up, wrapping her in a tight embrace, the tears streaming down his face profusely. 

The words that Hermione kept muttering over and over again was, "No. Not Harry. He just can't be gone. He can't be dead." Professor Sprout levitated the stretcher carrying Harry's body to the hospital wing, Hermione and Ron in tow, and talked briefly to Madam Pomfrey, the medi-witch that ran the hospital wing, before heading off to the Headmaster's office. Ron and Hermione too wrapped in their own grief did not hear anything the Madam Sprout said until, "I have never seen a person who was poisoned by Wizard's Deadly Nightshade before. But I know that just one small drop of the poison could easily kill 5 Giant Sea Monsters instantly. Potter never had a chance without his Dragon Hide Gloves on. The poison made all of the blood in his body congeal."

As Ron and Hermione walked out of the large room leaving behind the body of their best friend, Madam Pomfrey worked to put his body on one of the examination tables. They heard her mutter, "Somehow I always knew that you would be the death of me, Potter, but not in this way. I must admit, I have grown quite fond of you, and I never thought you would have…." They walked out of hearing range of what it was that she was saying, though they realized that she had stopped talking as well. They looked back and saw her gently remove his glasses and put them on the table next to him. They watched her look into his eyes and close them with her hand, and then with her head in her hands, sit in a chair beside him, her shoulders shaking, as if racked with grief. It was in that moment that Ron and Hermione realized that he was truly gone. 

Hermione was weeping openly again and Ron had a pained expression on his face and tears that threatened to fall down his face once again, as well. He was trying to be strong for Hermione's sake, but he felt like he had just lost one of brothers, and not just one of his best friends. They followed Professor Sprout numbly and barely noticed when they had reached the Headmaster's office. 

Tears started flowing freely again down Ron's face, as Professor Sprout, herself, tried to gain some semblance of composure. Ron and Hermione held each other, trying to comfort one another. Suddenly and for but a moment Hermione seemed to stop crying. She pushed Ron away and swung around wildly, "Harry?" she said, barely audibly. Tears began to free flow down her face again as she said, "Please, Harry, don't haunt me. I tried to get to you. I tried…. I tried." She shook her head wildly and got so dizzy that she collapsed on the floor in a heap. 

Professor Sprout and Ron had watched her in horror. They hadn't seen anything and Ron feared that his whole thing was going to make her lose her mind through grief. Ron picked her up and instantly she started screaming, "Noooo! Leave me alone!! Please stop!!"

Ron put her down onto her feet. She began looking around just as before. But before she could completely turn herself around, Ron grabbed her by the shoulders and yelled at her, pleadingly, "'Mione!! Snap out of it! I've already lost Harry! Please, I can't lose you too!!" Tears were streaming down his face, as Hermione dissolved in a fit of grief and fell into his arms. 

Remembering that they were standing in front of the entrance to Dumbledore's office, she turned back to the stone gargoyle. "Fizzing Wizbees," said Professor Sprout, in a high pitched squeaky voice, to the stone gargoyle statue in front of the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office. The statue came alive and jumped aside. Slowly Ron and the hysterical Hermione stepped onto the revolving staircase that brought them up to the Headmaster's office, followed by the distraught Professor Sprout.

When they arrived at the top the door to Dumbledore's office was open. Professor McGonagall was already there. Professor Sprout strode in first. A very wide-eyed Professor McGonagall stood up and said, "Oh, please tell me that it's not true…." But at that moment, Professor Sprout stepped aside and Hermione and Ron stumbled in.

Dumbledore stood so quickly that his chair was almost knocked over. Instantly he summoned a set of chairs that the pair collapsed into, both sobbing uncontrollably now and clinging to each other for dear life. The twinkle left Dumbledore's eyes, as he sat down looking older and more worn out than ever. Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall also sat. Professor McGonagall had her hand over her mouth and her eyes were blinking furiously. Madam Sprout seemed to too shocked to react, one way or another.

Dumbledore allowed the room to grieve for a few minutes before he gently began questioning the group that had come from the greenhouse for answers. When all of his inquiries were answered, he sat back into his chair thinking for many moments with his eyes upon the floor. The look on his face seemed to the group to be saying that he was deeply concentrating on something, as if searching for it.

Finally, Dumbledore sighed heavily and looked up at the group. They all looked shocked by his expression. For the first time in their lives, they saw the Headmaster momentarily lose his composure, however briefly, as tears shone in his eyes. He said in a very raspy voice, "Then all hope for this world is lost…."

Harry felt funny. He remembered piercing his hand and feeling very dizzy, but when he opened his eyes he had no idea where he was. It was very bright and warm. He started looking around and realized that he was still in the greenhouse, but his perspective of the place was different, almost as if he were looking down…. And then it hit him that that was exactly what it was. He was floating about the roof of the greenhouse. He felt so free. 

He suddenly heard a cry and looked down. He saw Hermione lying on the ground next to… himself! _What!?!?_ thought Harry loudly. _But if I'm right here then… what am I doing down there?_ He decided to keep watching to see if he could get any answers. He saw Ron pull Hermione up into a huge hug and saw him crying too. He could hear Hermione saying something but he couldn't focus on the words, because he was trying to figure out what was going on. He watched as Professor Sprout levitated the stretcher that he was on and tried to follow them out of the door, but the door closed before he could go out of it. He tried to push it open, but his hand went right through it. _AM I A GHOST?!?!?_ he yelled, but his voice only echoed through his mind. _Am I dead?_

Harry decided to try to pass through the door. He closed his eyes and willed himself toward Hermione and Ron. He suddenly found himself back with Hermione, Ron, and Professor Sprout. They were with Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital wing. He watched as Hermione, Ron, and Professor Sprout were leaving and he watched as Madam Pomfrey was gently levitating him to the examination table. He watched as she removed his glasses, as if she were doing it for the last time, and then collapse into the chair next to him and weep. He had heard her words to him and felt racked with grief. _How can this be possible? How can I be dead? I can't be! I'm right here!!! _he yelled with his thoughts. He decided that he needed to know more so he closed his eyes and moved forward again.

Again he was with Ron, Hermione, and Professor Sprout. Hermione and Ron were openly weeping as they were standing before the stone gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office. He thought back to the last lesson that he had in his advanced class. It had been the first class with Arabella. She had taught them how to begin to focus their minds so that they could read one person's thoughts in the chaos of all the thoughts that were flying around them like static and background noise. So he focused into Hermione's and Ron's minds to hear their thoughts, hoping to get some ideas what exactly was going on. 

He felt himself go forward and like he was suddenly inside Hermione's mind. He thought he could hear her voice, but she instantly ceased thinking. Then in a rush of words toward him she said, "Harry? Harry is that you?"

Harry couldn't believe it. "Yes, Hermione. It's me! What's going on?" But he did not get what he expected for an answer. 

Instead of getting answers as he had expected to get he was suddenly bombarded with a stream of jumbled words. "_This can't be…. No…. Harry…. I'm so sorry…. I didn't mean to let you die…. but then… Oh, God, this is all my fault…. Why are you here?! Oh no, you're not here to haunt me are you? Please, Harry, don't haunt me…. No… can't haunt me! I tried to get to you…. I tried…. I tried…. I didn't do this… but what if I did…. NOOOO! LEAVE ME ALONE!! PLEASE STOP!!_" 

Harry jumped back out of her mind. He opened his eyes and watched as Ron grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and yelled at her, pleadingly, "'Mione!! Snap out of it! I've already lost Harry! Please, I can't lose you too!!" Tears were streaming down his face, as Hermione dissolved in a fit of grief and fell into his arms. 

__

"Oh, Hermione, I'm so sorry! I didn't know what I was doing? I never meant to hurt you!" Harry was about to turn and leave, when a thought from Hermione traveled to him. He stopped and listened, but there was silence. Thinking he imagined it he started to leave again, but then he heard it again, this time louder. He turned back again and there was silence. He did this a few more times and then realized that he was hearing it better when he was facing a 90 degree angle to the direction that Hermione was facing. He stayed there and listened to her thoughts.

His mouth dropped open at what he heard, "_Harry, I miss you so much…. You were like the older brother I never had…. Oh God, Harry, I never meant to hurt you by ignoring you when I'm with Ron. It's just that our feelings are so new and wonderful…. If I had realized that that was why you were so withdrawn to us in the first place. I would have rectified it immediately. Oh, damn you for not telling us! Now you're dead and I'll never be able to ask for your forgiveness…._" That was all he heard as she and Ron turned toward Dumbledore's office and went up the staircase. He followed wanting to know more.

Harry waited until everyone was seated until he moved around to where he could hear what Ron was thinking. Ron had much the same thoughts as Hermione. Harry felt badly now, knowing how he had blown them off earlier in the day, thinking they would be mad or hurt or even turn away from him if he told them the truth about how he felt.

He couldn't take listening to it any more. He moved away to listen to the explanation of what had happened. He cursed himself when he realized that he had forgotten, in his own stubborn grief at the situation with Ron and Hermione, to put the Dragon Hide Gloves on to prevent this. 

He decided that he had had enough and was about to leave, when something drew him to the spot he was in. And though he was going to go and not intrude on the thoughts of the Headmaster, he felt riveted to where he was….

__

"Harry cannot be gone…. He is too important to this cause…to me…. Without him the line will die…. And the vision that he had will never come to pass…. But even now when I search the castle for his spirit, I do not feel it…. Though I feel his essence in this very room, because of the love that all of those in this room shared for him… including me…." Harry saw the Headmaster that he had grown to respect, honor and care for deeply, lift his head and show none of his usual cheeriness, the twinkle in his eyes completely gone. Harry was shocked to see that Dumbledore actually had tears shining in his eyes. He heard his headmaster say in a very raspy voice, "Then all hope for this world is lost…."

Dumbledore's thoughts came through to him again, _"Harry, you were a very special young man…. I never foresaw this end for you…." _

Noooo! Harry's mind screamed.

Suddenly the Headmaster's eyes lit up just a little. He looked about the room, as if searching for something, while the others remained locked within their own grief didn't notice. "_That's right…. I did not see this end…. It cannot be true…. His essence **is** here…. I can feel it. Could it be more? Is he here?" _Dumbledore thought as he began to scan the ceiling. When his eyes reached Harry, he stopped, and a slow smile returned to his lips and the twinkle entered his eyes again.

"_Hello, Harry." _This shocked Harry so much that the Headmaster could see him and communicate with him that he nearly jumped back out of the room through the ceiling.

__

"You can see me, Professor?"

"Yes, Harry."

"But how?"

"I will leave that explanation for later, but right now…."

Harry never heard the end of what Dumbledore was trying to say to him. He suddenly felt a pull on him. He found himself moving very quickly to a new location. If he hadn't been in spirit form he knew he would have been nauseous from the journey. He felt a sudden jolt as the motion stopped. He couldn't believe the pain that he had stopped in. His scar, even in his spirit form, was burning to the point of blinding him, and he instantly knew why….

A familiar high pitched voice floated to his ears. "What do you mean the spell didn't work?" yelled Lord Voldemort to one of his many minions.

Yet another familiar voice reached his ears, "I don't understand it, My Lord…. Malfoy said that his son had done as he was told. He gave the potion to Potter a week ago, Master. He must not have done it right…."

"Wormtail, you will never talk that way about the family of my second in command again… Is that clear?"

"Y-yes-s-s, M-m-master."

"Good. Crucio."

Wormtail screamed and fell with a thud to the floor. Harry knew Wormtail must have been writhing in pain, because his scar exploded with pain beyond any that he had ever experienced. Finally when the curse was removed from Wormtail, Harry was able to open his eyes and focus.

He remembered that about a week before Draco Malfoy had gotten a bit arrogant with him again. It had been in the Great Hall during dinner. Draco had sauntered over to him and tried to start a fight with him again.

"So, Potty, seen anything good lately, like your demise."

"Sod off, Malfoy!" Ron had said. 

Harry had passed a sly look to Ron and Ron knew what Harry was planning, "You know, Malfoy, I know of a certain Dragon that wouldn't mind meeting you again…." Draco had paled considerably more than his usual bloodless complexion. Ron hid his smirk and tried hard not to laugh.

Draco had narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to Harry. "Don't get too comfortable in your life, Potter. I hear the Dark Lord is still out there trying to find a way to get you…."

"So tell me something I don't know, Malfoy…." 

Draco had picked up Harry's drink and made like he was about to throw it Harry.

Harry had raised his eyebrows and growled at his enemy, "Go ahead. I dare you." Harry's eyes flashed with the angry challenge. Then Draco did something that he truly did not expect. He dropped his arm with the cup in it to his side.

Draco had leaned in again so that only Harry could hear what it was that he was about to say, "You know what, Potter? You are not worth the effort, because you are already dead…." He slammed Harry's cup back down on the table, spilling pumpkin juice all over Harry….

Harry had thought that the exchange was weird to say the least, because Draco had not even challenged him in any way, nor did he follow through with his threat. But looking back now it all seemed to make sense. That must have been when Draco slipped the potion to him. Harry turned his attention back to Wormtail and Voldemort, whose conversation had resumed. 

"Did you say the incantation right?"

"Yes, Master." He bowed down and kissed the edge of Voldemort's robes. "Please, My Lord, I don't know what I did wrong…."

"Check again! I will go and question our very _helpful_ and talkative prisoner, to see if there is anything that could have been forgotten…."

"Which prisoner, My Lord?"

"Lockhart, you imbecile."

"I don't see how he would be any help to us, Master."

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING ME?!" 

"N-n-n-no, M-m-master. I-I…. It's just…. I don't see how that pureblooded, pretty boy, Squib is of any use to us…."

Lucius Malfoy walked into the room and spoke at the behest of his Master, "Now, now…. Careful who you call a squib, Wormtail…. You are not far from being one yourself. But if you must know why Lockhart's so important to Our Lord's plan, then listen closely for I will not repeat myself. In Potter's second year, Lockhart was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He was shown up by Potter and his memory was obliterated by his own hand, when he tried to use the broken wand of Potter's friend and your former keeper, _Weasley_." Malfoy's disgust was more than evident, when he said the name. "As I was leaving the castle I realized that I had something… or rather someone… that I could eventually use against Potter. It took me some time to reconstruct Lockhart's memories, but as I did I made sure that the pathetic excuse for a pureblood was fed a destructive hate for the Boy-Who-Lived. Once he was thoroughly brainwashed into thinking that Potter was the enemy, he dipped into the vast knowledge that he had collected over the years for his books and found a potion and spell that when used together properly would summon the drinker of the potion to a location, when the incantation was said."

"But, sir, I don't quite understand how it works…. Is the potion like a portkey?"

"Very good, Wormtail. That is exactly what it's like."

"But after a week, wouldn't it have left his system?"

"No. It takes a week for it to seep into the very essence of his being, his soul, if you will. And because his body is intertwined with his soul, that is why he would be transported here…. There is only a small window of opportunity before his soul begins to break down the potion, which we will have now missed, due to your incompetence." Malfoy turned to his Master. "The only reason why he would not be here now is if his soul had left his body in death. Which could be a good sign, My Lord…."

"Yes," hissed Voldemort. "However, if that were true then his soul would be here on it's own and I do not sense it here at all. It is more likely that Wormtail made a mistake somewhere, something, which he will pay dearly for…. I will return shortly. Please help Wormtail reconstruct what he did wrong. While I go to see if in fact all the necessary steps were taken for this to have worked properly…." He turned to leave.

Harry's scar seemed to burn less as Voldemort turned away. Harry turned to see if he could find a way out of the dungeon like room that he was in. Suddenly he was able to hear the thoughts of someone. He stopped moving when he realized that it was Voldemort's thoughts he was hearing. 

__

"You will not escape my wrath, even in death, Potter. I will find a way to get you… dead or alive…." Harry felt a cold shiver run through his spirit as Voldemort began to step toward the door. Harry thought he could finally try to look for a way out in peace when he noticed that Voldemort had hesitated. In an instant the snakelike face of Harry's immortal enemy swung around, eyes wide. He searched wildly about the room for a few moments, until his eyes finally came to rest upon the spot where Harry was.

A slow evil smile spread across his thin lips. "He's here," said Voldemort without taking his eyes from Harry.

"Where, My Lord?" asked Wormtail.

He pointed a long, thin, white, spider-like finger in Harry's direction. Both Malfoy and Wormtail turned and stared in his direction scanning the area, but neither of them could see what Voldemort could.

"So, Potter, if you are in spirit form then you must be dead…. How marvelous. But you will not escape the pain and anguish that I have planned for you. There is no way out of here for you, even in spirit form… So, welcome… to your own private hell…."

The four people sitting in the Headmaster's Office with him did not notice the change in his demeanor as he glanced about the room. They did not even notice it when we began to smile at something unseen. Nor did they notice it when he seemed to be having a private conversation with someone who was not visible in the room. But they were all brought out of their reverie when he was suddenly on his feet and staring at the ceiling.

"Albus? What is it?" asked Professor McGonagall. For a full minute the headmaster stood there staring at the ceiling where he had seen Harry's spirit, just moments before. He knew that Harry had been taken from the room by evil means. The others began to look at the ceiling where Dumbledore was intently watching. 

Finally Ron broke the silence, "Professor…?"

Dumbledore now having figured out what must have happened, began asking questions to the two students once more. "Tell me again, Miss Granger…. Where exactly was the thorn on the plant that pricked Harry?"

"Near the base of the stem, sir. He had been putting potting soil into the pot when it happened…"

"Very good…. Now, think carefully. Was it shivering, as if afraid?"

Hermione sat quietly for a few moments and then started shaking her head no. "No, sir," she said slowly. She looked into the aged Headmaster's eyes and saw the twinkle there that had been missing previously. Realization suddenly seemed to spread across her face. She gasped and started smiling widely.

"What is it, 'Mione?" asked a very confused Ron.

"Professor, you don't think…?"

"What…" interjected Ron.

"Precisely, Miss Granger…. I knew that you would figure it out."

"Figure what out?!" yelled Ron as Hermione left her seat and began pulling him to his feet. "Hermione, tell me what is going on!"

"I will on the way! Come ON, Ron!" she yelled as she yanked him up and out the door, leaving the three Professors staring after them.

Once the two students were gone, Professor McGonagall said, "Could some one please enlighten me as to why they just ran out of here so excited?"

Professor Dumbledore and Professor Sprout shared a knowing look, before Dumbledore began, "They just realized that when the Wizard's Deadly Nightshade plant is not frightened it does not put out it poison…."

"So what does that mean exactly, that Potter is…."

"Precisely."

"But then why is he down there in the Hospital wing?"

Professor Sprout spoke up, "Because the spikes at the base of the stem of the plant have another special quality that none of us recalled until we heard the story again…."

"What would that be?"

"The spikes at the base of the stem have dried poison upon them. The dried form of the poison is not deadly, but instead puts a person in a sort of sleeping death for a short period of time." 

Professor McGonagall furrowed her brow.

"This form of poison is used for Astral Projection, or the removal of the spirit from the body. What this means is that most likely Mr. Potter is just floating about somewhere in the castle," finished Professor Sprout triumphantly.

"Actually, there is one slight flaw with your explanation that neither you nor Hermione is yet aware of, Professor Sprout."

"Oh?"

"Indeed, Mr. Potter did Astral Project and he _was_ floating about the castle, in this very room in fact…." Dumbledore paused and the twinkle once again left his eyes.

"But?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"But, he is no longer within the castle walls nor is he on the grounds…. I fear that he is in great danger, and if we cannot reunite him with his body in time for the powdered poison to wear off… I'm afraid there will be no saving him…. He will die…"

Harry tried tirelessly to find a flaw, a gap somewhere anywhere in the cell that he was left alone in. He knew that Voldemort would be back and soon to begin the torment of his soul. He was getting desperate. He had begun to feel a tug at his middle, like he needed to return to his body, but there was no way out. The tug was so strong that it made him realize that somehow he was not dead at all but in fact alive, but separate from his body. He didn't know how that was possible, but he just knew that it to be true.

He began pacing throughout the room. He felt like a caged animal. He felt the tug once again. It was becoming more incessant and frequent. He knew that if he couldn't get back to his body soon it would die. He could think of nothing else to do.

As the life seemed to begin draining out of him he began to call for help. Silently at first, then more and more loudly. Voldemort appeared at the door to Harry's cell and with a nasty smile reveled in the torment that Harry was feeling. 

Harry began scratching at the solid wall with his invisible fingers. He knew it was futile, but he needed to do something! The tug came once again and a little more life was ripped out of him.

He became more and more agitated. Voldemort just stood there. Harry was quickly losing energy and feeling weak he fell to the floor. Voldemort laughed. He lay there feeling that he was about to leave this existence forever. He closed his eyes and the cold laughter from Voldemort reached his ears. He felt himself fading away as the last of the tugging had occurred, hearing only faintly in the background a loud boom. He slipped away….

Hermione and Ron reached the Hospital wing in record time. Hermione had explained as they ran that Harry was not dead that his spirit had just left his body and that he could wake up at any moment. Ron had increased their pace once Hermione had finished her explanation. They burst through doors searching frantically for Harry's body. Madam Pomfrey hearing all the racket came running out.

"What are you trying to do wake up the dead?" asked Madam Pomfrey.

Hermione turned and looked at her very seriously and said, "Well, yes actually…."

Madam Pomfrey's jaw dropped open and she was about to protest when Hermione launched into the story of what she had just learned. Just as she came to the end of her explanation a noise of something breaking came from behind the curtain where Harry's body was being kept away from prying eyes. They all ran to the spot and noticed that Harry's glasses were broken on the floor. Hermione instantly picked them up and repaired them. She placed them in her pocket until she could give them to him later. 

Madam Pomfrey took down the sheet that she had covered him with and noticed with a start that Harry's position was different than when she placed him there. At that precise moment Harry's body convulsed, which made them all jump back. When his body finally relaxed, Madam Pomfrey moved to his side and opened his eyes to look into them briefly. She shook her head and rushed off to her office. She was gone for what seemed like a few seconds, but was more like a few minutes.

Ron and Hermione were not taking their eyes off of Harry. They just knew that any moment was the moment that he would wake up. His body convulsed again. Madam Pomfrey spoke, making both of the students jump, "His body is trying to pull his spirit back when it does that." Harry's body relaxed again and stayed very peaceful for quite some time. 

"Then why isn't it working?!" exclaimed Ron.

"Well, it could be one of two reason's, Mr. Weasley…."

"One…?"

"He could simply not want to return to his body…"

"No that's not it. Harry wouldn't do that…." he said with certainty that surprised even himself.

"And two…?" asked Hermione timidly, fearing that she already knew the answer.

"He could be trapped somewhere unable to return…. But if that is true and he doesn't make it back in time…." The rest of the phase was left unsaid, though everyone knew what would happen if he didn't return.

Harry's body started convulsing again, repeatedly. The three of them stood there watching in horror as Harry's body appeared to be going through great pain. With one final horrible lurch, the body then relaxed and truly looked as if it were in the peaceful state of death. 

"I think it's over," said Madam Pomfrey

Harry felt himself floating. He felt warm and surrounded with love. He didn't want to leave this feeling. But he knew there was an obligation that he had to the people that he cared for. His eyes flew open. He was still in the cell that he had been in, but there in front of him stood…

"Mom? Dad?"

The image of his mother smiled and spoke in a soft gentle tone, "No, I'm afraid we're not really your parents, Harry."

"Then who are you?"

"We are your parents' guardian spirits."

"I don't understand…."

"We know you don't understand yet, Harry, but it is important for you to listen to us right now. You must go back to your body."

"But I can't. I've tried to find a way out of here and there is no way that I have found."

"We are giving you a way out…. We are holding a spot open for you to leave through. All you need to do is walk between us."

"But I think that my physical body has stopped trying to pull me back. Doesn't that mean that I am dead?"

"No, it simply means that it is too weak to pull you back now… but you must hurry because before too long your body will give up the fight. Go!"

"But…"

"There will be time for questions again later, Harry. Go!"

Harry flew between them and felt like he was slingshot back to his body. As he went, the images of his first year with his parents came to him. New images intermingled with old more familiar ones. 

__

Harry's father and mother were standing over him, both with concerned looks on their faces. James reached into the crib to lift out his wailing son. As he reached in Harry saw the ring on James' hand and stopped crying for the first time in nearly a week. Harry grabbed at the ring. James took the ring from his hand, expanded it with his mind, and slipped it over his infant son's wrist. Harry sat transfixed by the blood red stone with a GG inscribed upon it. 

"James, you don't suppose that he has somehow come into possession of the gifts early, do you?" 

"I wouldn't think so, Lil. Why do you ask?"

"Because I've had a growing uneasiness in my mind for just about the last week, ever since you and I went to have Sirius put on as our secret keeper and he talked us into having Peter instead. And that was the night that Harry began being colicky and crying nearly nonstop…."

"Why didn't you say something sooner? Because I've been having a dream that…. Oh, dear God, Lil, grab Harry and get out of here now." He pulled a pin off of his collar and handed it to Lily. "Take this and send it to Dumbledore along with the rest of what we decided to have him keep for us. Use your familiar, as she is the fastest." He kissed her and began heading for the door of the nursery. "You must do this quickly… We've run out of time. Give the ring that Harry has to Arabella for safekeeping. Please, Lily, don't stop to do the charm. You have to leave now… or else you won't make it out of here alive. Harry needs at least one living parent to teach him about who he is and what he is to become."

"James, no! Don't leave!" Tears were now free flowing down Harry's mother's face.

Harry's father paused with his hand on the doorknob. "Lily, it's the only way…. Close the door and secure it after I leave. Go out the window with Harry… and don't look back…."

There seemed to be a shift in the memory that Harry was having, as if there were something missing that he was not meant to see yet…. His mother had him in her arms and was rocking him. He began hearing a scuffle taking place just outside the room. Harry's mother ran to the door and threw it open. She saw something the horrified her. "JAMES!!!" she screamed.

"What are you still doing here?! Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off –" Harry's mother slammed the door and said something that must have been a charm to lock the door. She turned and ran toward the crib and put him down behind it. 

Harry's mother kissed him, knowing that her moment of death had arrived. She whispered things into Harry's one-year-old ears that were still unclear and took from his wrist his father's ring. She looked at the door in horror as she heard the sounds of someone stumbling from the next room followed by a heavy thud and silence just outside the door. 

"Harry," she whispered urgently, "I'm giving this ring to Mrs. Figg, your Nanny. When you are old enough and when you need it, she will return it to you. When the time is right you will know what to do with it…." She turned and handed the ring to a much younger Arabella, who apperated out of the room just in time for Harry to see his mother turn around as the door was blown open. A cackle of high-pitched laughter filled the tiny room. The last words, that Harry heard his mother say to him, were, "I love you Harry. Always remember what I told you…." Harry's mother turned and started begging for Harry's life. "Not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything –"

"Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!" came the high pitched voice of Harry's deadly enemy.

Harry's mother screamed and landed on the floor next to his one-year-old self, her green eyes fixed open. He remembered looking up from the green eyes of his mother into those cold red eyes of Voldemort, as he turned his wand on Harry.

Harry gasped for breath. He was back in his body, lying on his side on one of the soft beds in the infirmary. His eyes flew open to be met with two very wet looking tennis ball sized green eyes. Harry sat up and jumped beck yelping. He grabbed for his glasses on the table beside him and put them on….

Before he could even register what it was that he had seen, he was hit by something so hard that he was knocked back onto the bed and the wind was knocked out of him. When he finally regained his breath, Harry looked down and finally realized what it was that he had seen when he had opened his eyes, though he should have known right away. 

A small form, with bat-like ears and a long nose dressed in an interesting assortment of clothes including some mismatched socks, was clinging to Harry's midriff for dear life, his body shivering with tearful happiness. His cries were echoing about the Hospital wing. He began muttering words that could not really be understood.

"D-Dobby?" Harry whispered, still finding it difficult to breathe with the elf's arms wrapped so tightly around him. 

Dobby lifted his head and looked into Harry's eyes with tears flowing down his cheeks. With out missing a beat, Dobby kept speaking, "Harry Potter, sir, is alive and awake. Dobby is hearing a rumor that you is dead, sir. Dobby is so happy to see you, sir. Dobby is hoping that the rumors, sir, is wrong, but when Dobby is coming here to the hospital wing, sir, and is seeing you lying there on the bed…. Dobby is thinking the worst, sir. But then when Dobby is sitting here with you, sir, and you is taking in a breath and opening your eyes, sir. Dobby is so happy." Dobby released Harry from the tight hug.

"It's good to see you too, Dobby," Harry said sighing in relief from being released. 

The little elf grinned widely. "Harry Potter's friends will be happy to see you, sir. Dobby will go wake them, sir." Dobby got up and jumped off the bed in one quick motion.

"No, wait, Dobby…. If they are sleeping, don't wake them." Harry noticed the forms of his two best friends lying on the bed next to his, wrapped in each other's arms. For a moment the pang of jealousy returned, but then he thought about all that he had learned by listening to their thoughts. He knew how sorry they were that he had been mostly left out of their lives since they had found each other. He instantly forgave them and actually smiled at their sleeping forms. He looked back at Dobby who smiled too.

"Dobby must return to his duties, sir, but Dobby is happy that Harry Potter is alive and well, sir." 

"Thanks, Dobby. It's good to see you too."

Instantly the elf disappeared. Harry lay back on his bed and closed his eyes, trying to recall all of the images from and words spoken in the memory of his mother dying. Usually he would not want to do that especially with that particular memory, but he realized that some answers that he had been looking for had been there in that memory. As he tried to focus on it, he found himself slipping in and out of an uneasy slumber. With tears forming behind his closed eyelids, he searched endlessly for the answers that seemed to be just out of his reach. It was almost as if something was keeping him from remembering what he needed to….

A couple hours later, he realized he could hear the thoughts of the two people that meant the most to him in the world. They were awake and sitting next to him, still in fear that he had not made it through. Harry was amazed at how much Ron and Hermione projected their thoughts at him. He lay there with his eyes closed listening intently to their thoughts. Finally when he had heard enough of the pity party that they both were secretly waging in their minds he spoke without opening his eyes, "You two need to stop blaming yourselves for something that you did not cause or do."

Both Hermione and Ron had jumped. Harry had heard their mind's thoughts shift to how much that he had startled them. Harry chuckled.

"Harry…?" came Hermione's voice aloud.

"Yes, Hermione. I'm alright." He opened his eyes finally, and looked at the blurry forms beside his bed. He watched as the smaller form got up and put his glasses on for him. 

"Thanks, Hermione." He looked at his best friends. "Why the long faces? You look as if someone just died."

"That's not funny, Harry," spat Hermione.

Harry laughed. "Oh, come on Hermione. I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yes…" _But what you did was very careless and you could have died._

"That's true, but I'm not dead. And I promise to be more careful next time."

Hermione looked shocked, "How did you know…?"

"What you were thinking?" Harry finished for her. "Quite simple really, I've learned how to isolate one voice in a crowd, like Arabella was trying to teach us on Monday. Being in spirit form does seem to have its advantages."

Hermione looked shocked. "That _was_ you then in my mind before we got to Dumbledore's office."

Harry suddenly looked very solemn. "Yes. And I'm very sorry about that, Hermione. I didn't mean to cause you such pain."

"Actually, later when I thought about it, though it seemed to hurt while it happened, it was actually quite comforting to know that you were there…." She smiled widely at him. 

He returned her smile sadly. "How long have I been out?"

"For about 5 hours, mate," said Ron, finally finding his voice.

"How was class tonight?"

"It was cancelled due to your…" Ron swallowed hard.

"Okay, well at least we have class tomorrow night," said Harry excitedly.

Hermione was surprised. "How can you even be thinking about classes, right now?" she asked exasperatedly.

Harry sat up and put his hand on her forehead. "Are you feeling all right, Hermione?"

"_I'm_ fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because, for once, you are telling me not to think about school." Harry chuckled.

Hermione looked as though she were about to burst out a reply when Madam Pomfrey strode into the room, having heard the voices that had gotten steadily louder. "Alright you two, that be enough to be getting on with…. Mr. Potter needs his rest. You should return to your dormitories…."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione said their good nights and Harry's friends left him alone with Madam Pomfrey. She was about to go back to her office when Harry stopped her. "Madam Pomfrey?"

"Yes, Harry…," she said with a sigh and a bit more crossly than she had intended to.

"I realized when I was lying here earlier, that I have never said thank you to you for everything that you've done for me every time I have been in here. So, thank you."

Madam Pomfrey's typically hard, determined look melted away slightly softening her face slightly. "Just doing my job, Mr. Potter."

"But I have a feeling that you are rarely thanked for it…. And I know that I have been in here more than my fair share of times… so…. I will try not to make a habit of it as much."

"It cannot be helped, but you're welcome… and thank you." She turned and walked away with an unusual spring in her step. 

Just then the Headmaster stepped in. "Poppy, do you mind if I have a word with your patient for a moment?" Madam Pomfrey, who was still feeling happy about what Harry had just said to her, simply nodded and stepped aside with a wide grin on her face. 

He walked over to Harry's bed and sat on the edge of his bed. "Good evening, Harry." There was the usual twinkle in the ancient eyes behind the glasses, but even though he couldn't exactly read what Headmaster's thoughts were, he knew that this was more than just a social call to make sure he was feeling better.

"Good evening, Professor."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm well, sir."

"Good. Harry… I believe that there is much that we need to discuss…."

"What about, sir?"

"I do not think that this is the right moment or the right place for us to discuss such things… after all the walls do occasionally have ears. Besides I am quite sure that Madam Pomfrey would be thoroughly distraught if I did so. The best thing that you can do is to get some rest now. Just permit me one request…"

"Yes, sir?"

"Allow me a short time in the morning to spread the word that your death was greatly exaggerated, as the rumor has naturally been spread throughout the castle about your untimely demise…. I will send for you when I have made the announcement…."

Harry nodded, smiling and lay back on his bed, falling rapidly to sleep. He felt the Headmaster gently rise from his bed and remove his glasses before he slipped gently into the darkness of slumber.


	10. Quidditch Tryouts

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Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

Shdurrani/Alex – WELCOME! And thank you for your compliments! I am very glad you like it!!!

Manateegirl – WOW! Thank you for your compliments! I have to admit that that chapter was one of my favorites to write!!! :-D :-D

Butler – WELCOME! And thank you for your compliments! I am very happy you like it! As for Harry's girlfriend… well…. that is yet to be seen :-D

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CHAPTER TEN – QUIDDITCH TRYOUTS

The next morning Madam Pomfrey released him, and realizing how hungry he was, he went directly to the Great Hall. Upon entering, he realized that all the eyes from the fifth year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were upon him. Shortly the eyes of the entire Great Hall followed suit. It was so quiet that Harry could hear ever step he took on the stone beneath his feet. He sat down next to Hermione and Ron and began pulling a bunch of food onto his plate. He realized that some of the chatter behind him had returned. But the whole of the Gryffindor table continued to stare at him, aside from Ron and Hermione who were still eating their breakfast, unfettered.

Dean Thomas, who was sitting across from Harry, leaned in. "Harry…?" he began uncertainly.

Harry looked up at his fellow fifth year and smiled. "I'm fine, Dean. Really." He then turned his attention to the pile of food on his plate and dug in. Most of his classmates just sat in awe, their own plates of food forgotten.

That was how most of the day went. During History of Magic most of the fifth year Gryffindors were not paying any attention to the boring speech on how the Muggle war between England and the American colonies had affected the wizarding world in the late 1770s. Professor Binns, who had fallen asleep one day in the staff room by the fire and had gotten up the next morning leaving his body behind him, was the only ghost professor on staff and could easily bore any group of students into a stupor. He did not even seem to notice that he was not the center of attention that day.

Harry resigned himself to the fact that there was nothing that he could say or do to get the others to stop looking at him, so he did his best to hide himself behind his books all day. He was glad when the meeting with Professor McGonagall had finally come and he was able to get away from the prying eyes of the rest of his fellow housemates. He ate a quick supper and slipped quickly out of the Great Hall, running the whole way to Professor McGonagall's classroom.

When Harry walked into the room, Professor McGonagall's eyes rested on him a bit longer than usual, but with none of the usual stern harshness. There was even a possibility of a tear trying to escape her eye, but she turn away before Harry could really be sure. 

"Good evening, Mr. Potter."

"Good evening, Professor." Harry sat and waited for the rest of the team to show up. Professor McGonagall busied herself with something at the back of her classroom. Harry couldn't be sure but he thought he could hear some sniffling coming from his sternest Professor.

"Are you alright, Professor?"

After a few seconds of silence she turned and looked at him with a small smile on her face. "But of course. Thank you for inquiring. Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to finish something in my office. If you will come and inform me when the rest of the team arrives…?"

Harry nodded and she strode out of the room. Harry made use of the quiet to start thinking about his memory about when his mother and father had been killed. He closed his eyes trying to bring the memory back to the surface, but to no avail. Finally, he sighed and opened his eyes just in time for Fred and George to enter the room. They came and sat down next to Harry.

"Nice to see you in the land of the living, mate," said George as he clapped him on the back.

"Yeah, we were afraid that you would start haunting the Quidditch pitch. Although confidentially that wouldn't be a bad idea mind you…. Scare the pants off of Malfoy every time he'd reach for the Snitch," Fred chuckled. 

Fred and George went back and forth coming out with better and better things that Harry could have done as a ghost, particularly in regards to giving so serious payback to several of their adversaries, mostly Slytherins. They continued on in this way until the three girls walked into the room. Instantly Harry jumped up and went and knocked on Professor McGonagall's office door. She opened the door and followed Harry back to the center of the classroom.

"I have called you all here to discuss two things. First the up coming tryouts on Saturday. You will all be required to attend. The tryouts begin sharply at 8am. The six of you and I will be deciding who will become the new Keeper…."

"Professor…. I thought that the captain was supposed to choose the new team members…," said Angelina Johnson.

"That is quite correct, Miss Johnson. However, that brings me to the second reason why we are here tonight. As Mr. Wood graduated two years ago and with the Tri-wizard Tournament last year, you do not have a new captain chosen yet. 

"Now the procedure for choosing a captain is quite clear. You cannot choose a new captain until the team is full, as each member of the team should have an equal chance to getting the position of captain. It is more than a mere vote…. You will nominate those whom you feel qualify for the position. From there those nominated will direct the rest of the team in a Quidditch play, the Beaters and the new Keeper will act as the defensive team and the Chasers and the Seeker will be the Offensive team. The captain-nominees must successfully direct an offensive and defensive play at the same time, as the situation will simulate a real game. The team will then vote for the captain of their choice. I will then count the votes and inform you promptly of whom the winner is. Is everything clear?"

Everyone in the room nodded.

"Good. Dismissed."

As Harry walked to his Advanced Class with the twins, he realized that there was something, or rather _someone_, that could help him get some answers to the questions that had been plaguing him. He vowed to speak to her that very evening after class. When the three of them were settled in their seats, waiting for the rest of the class to arrive, Arabella looked straight at Harry with a look of surprise. She then projected a thought directly to him, "_Well, Harry, it is certainly good to see you again in the land of the living. So how was your first excursion into the realm of thought?"_

"Very powerful, though I wasn't sure there for a few moments if I was going to make it back."

"Harry, please don't confuse the realm of thought with your spirit, while they are part of the same being, namely you, they are not the same. The spirit tends to contain the thought, but they are truly separate. What I meant was, how was it to enter into Hermione's mind?"

"You know about that?"

"Yes."

"It was very… unnerving, actually. I felt bad about entering her mind without permission…."

"Therein lies the very first lesson that I have wished for you all to experience and understand…. Unless there is a need to do so, you should never enter another person, or being's for that matter, mind without their permission first. Much of what you need to know will be projected out to capture anyway, unless the person has a very strong mind…"

Harry felt that there was more that she wished to say to him, but she held back. He knew that he could have gone searching through her mind for the information, but he didn't feeling that she had erected a wall around a certain part of her mind. He projected to her just one thought more, _ "I would like to speak to you after class for a while, if I could."_ She nodded simply, as he too put a wall up around what he wished to talk about, not wanting to project his thoughts about his parents out for the others to hear.

The twins watched as Harry and Professor Figg had sat staring at each other. After a few moments it became apparent to them that the two were carrying on a conversation, as their facial expressions kept changing. They mutually decided that they would try to see if they could quiet their minds enough to tap into the projected thoughts of the other two. Just as Professor Figg nodded they were able to clear their minds enough to realize the conversation was now over.

It was at that moment that Harry realized what the twins were trying to do. He was very glad that he had just finished blocking the thoughts that he did not wish to be heard. The twins realized that there was nothing more to hear so they began to try and out do each other with throwing obscene and hysterical comments Harry's way, which made Harry practically fall out of his chair laughing. Professor Figg, while amused, tried very hard to curb the behavior, which was very difficult when she, herself, was laughing at their antics.

During one moment when Harry had stopped laughing between their antics, he said aloud, "Wow, I'm amazed that you have picked this up so quickly…"

"Not really that quick," said Fred aloud too.

Harry looked confused.

"Well, if you think about it, Harry, we are twins…. We've always have had that ability with each other…. We just used the same type of technique that we use for each other. So in essence we've perfected this over almost 17 years…." said George adding silently, "_Now as I started saying moments ago…. How about we charm Malfoy into thinking he's a ballet dancer…?"_

When Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Cho, Neville, and Nicholas entered the room, they stared in awe at the scene before them. Fred had fallen out of his seat and was pounding the floor with his fist, laughing hysterically. George was flopped halfway on his back over the table clutching his sides that hurt so much because of laughing so hard. Harry was sitting on the floor, having finally fallen out of his seat, laughing so hard that he was holding on the chair for leverage. Even Arabella was laughing, even though she looked like she was trying to maintain a shred of composure and trying to gain control of the situation.

"Erm…. Did we miss something?" asked Ron. Harry, the twins, and Arabella all stopped laughing briefly and looked over at the six who were standing at the door with utter astonishment plastered upon their faces. 

Harry and the twins shared a look and then burst out laughing again. The other six walked in and watched as Arabella finally completely lost her poise, finally giving into the laughter that she had fought for so long from taking her over. She landed hard in her seat, as she could no longer stand. 

As the rest of them sat in their usual seats they couldn't help but start laughing themselves. When they finally stopped laughing, Ron said, "Okay, so does someone want to enlighten us about what we were just laughing about."

Arabella directed the six of them to clear and quiet their minds, while Harry and the twins tried really hard not to laugh and distract the others. Then Harry, the twins, and Arabella projected the image of Malfoy pirouetting down the Slytherin table in the Great Hall with Crabbe and Goyle wearing pink flamingo costumes in front of all of their classmates. The room erupted with laughter again.

It took them all several minutes before they were all able to calm down enough to begin the class. But Arabella was quite impressed with how well the nine of them were catching onto mind projection and reading of open minds, especially since it was only the first week that they had learned the methods. Before she dismissed the class she said, "I'm now certain that Professor Dumbledore has made the right choice having the nine of you be in this class. I must admit that I was uncertain when I saw you on the first day, but with how quickly you all have begun to pick up these methods of work with the mind, you have all shown me how capable you all are. However the most difficult tasks are ahead of you. Opening the mind is easy, but closing it off so that others cannot read it… that is the difficult thing. Well, goodnight all. Thank you for the laugh tonight and for all of the hard work."

They all got up and started to head for the door, except for Harry. Hermione realized that he had not gotten up and said, "Come on, Harry?"

"No, I'll be along. I need to talk to Professor Figg."

"Do you want me to come back round for you?"

Harry looked at Mrs. Figg. "No, that's alright, Dear. We have much to discuss. I'll walk him back when we are finished…."

Hermione nodded and walked out, directing the rest of them to follow her. After she shut the door she let Harry know silently that if he needed to talk when he got back, she and Ron would be waiting for him. He thanked her and waited for her and the others to become distracted enough that they would not hear what he was talking about to Arabella.

When finally they were all distracted enough, Harry felt a hand on his arm. He turned and looked at her with pain and sadness in his eyes. "I've been waiting for and dreading this moment since, the day that I found out where you were…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I have been so afraid about what you would say to me when you realized that I was your Nanny, back when your parents were alive. I was afraid that you would be angry at me for leaving you there…."

"I'm not mad, but now that you mention it, why did you?"

"Harry, there is something that you need to understand…. When your mother handed me that ring (pointing to the ring on Harry's hand) she told me that it had to go somewhere safe, away from anyone trying to get it. She said that it was of the utmost importance. I apperated out to Diagon Alley and went immediately to Gringotts. It acquired a small vault with the maximum amount of security that they had.

"Unfortunately the only one that they had at the time did not have as much protection as I felt that the ring needed. So they took the time to put extra measures of protection on the vault before they handed me the key. When I returned to the house where you and your parents were… it was too late. I knew instantly that your parents were gone.

"There were Muggle police swarming all over the ruins of the house. And in the sky I noticed a flying motorcycle hovering in circles quietly above the scene momentarily. I had seen that it was Hagrid and knew that he had been sent by Professor Dumbledore to find you. I went immediately to Professor Dumbledore to find out what was going on. When he told me what had happened, I wept. I begged him to let you stay with me, as I was your nanny, but he had already performed the Fidelus charm over your aunt and uncle's house.

"I had told him about the stories that Lily had told me of her sister and how horrible she and her husband could be… but he had said that they were the only family that you had. He said that there was nothing that could be done, because once a Fidelus charm was cast it would be fifteen years before it could be cast again, whether it was broken or not. That is why the secret keeper has to be someone that you innately trust.

"I never found out whom your secret keeper is, nor did I know where you were until my sister contacted me…. I had known for some time where she was, but I had no idea that she lived so close to you or that she was taking care of you occasionally."

Harry had sat quietly completely captivated by what she was saying. When she finally stopped it took a moment for him to gather his thoughts and find the questions that he had originally wanted to ask her. "Why is this ring so important?" It was not exactly the first question that he had intended to ask, but it was the first one that hadn't been answered that popped into his mind. 

"If you do not know then I cannot really tell you… that is a discussion that you need to have with the Headmaster. All that I can say is this… the Order of the Phoenix will rise again from the ashes of it's former self to once again defeat evil…"

Harry looked utterly lost at that comment, though something deep within him resonated with it….

He asked several more questions, before coming to the one that he really wanted answered. "Arabella… why my parents? What did they know that was so important to Voldemort that he would kill them? – Why does he want me dead and tortured?"

"Because of who you are…"

"I know that I am the Boy-Who-Lived and all, but why did he want me killed in the first place? Voldemort told my mother to stand aside, which means that he did not want to kill her. But why did he want to get to me?"

"You remember that?"

"Well, not at first, but the memory keeps coming through clearer and clearer. I know that there are things in that memory that I need to remember, but they have not come clear enough yet…"

"Harry don't rush it…. There is plenty of time to find out what was there in that memory. Just let it come to you through its natural course of time… enjoy your time here while you can…"

__

What does that mean? thought Harry as he said aloud, "I can't stop trying to figure out what everything means, though, Arabella. I feel that it is so important… almost like I'm driven to do it…."

__

Then it has already begun…. thought Arabella with enough force that Harry was able to hear it.

When he returned to the common room, true to her word, Hermione and Ron were sitting there waiting for him. They took one look at Harry's pale face and knew that the talk did not go as he had hoped. 

"Alright there, Harry?" asked Ron.

Harry simply shook his head. Though he had gotten lots of answers, the questions that were most pressing in his mind sat there and gnawed at him, not to mention all of the new questions that his talk with Arabella had raised.

"Do you want to talk about it, Harry?" asked Hermione cautiously.

"Actually, Hermione, there's not much to tell…. I feel more confused now than I did before. I really think I need a quiet place to go and think for a while – alone."

"Harry, I might get in trouble for this, but…. If you ever need to think about things… you are welcome to use the Prefect's bathroom…. Take a bath or something. That always helps me…"

"Hermione, he doesn't need a bath…. What he really need is some time in the air on his broom. That always helps him…." Hermione and Ron argued back and forth for a few minutes about what was the best way for Harry to feel better.

"If you two are quite finished trying to figure out what is best for me…," interrupted Harry slightly amused and irritated. Ron and Hermione stopped and looked at him, then realizing what they were doing apologized to Harry.

"That's okay…. I just wanted to say that at some point I might take both of you up on your offers, but right now… I'm feeling a bit drained and I was thinking I would just head to bed for the night." He turned to go but then stopped and with a smirk said, "Besides it gives you plenty of good snogging time." He chuckled at the looks on their faces. 

Upon hearing the reluctance in their thoughts at continuing their relationship after what had happened with him the day before he added, "Don't worry…. I understand now about why you were acting the way you were. I'm not upset anymore. You two are good together. I was just jealous of what you have is all. Don't throw it all away on my account. Please…" 

They looked at Harry in disbelief. They couldn't believe that Harry had just admitted to them what he did. They knew that he must really be distracted, by what ever it was that was bothering him. But they didn't stop him from leaving the room and heading to bed.

Harry knew that his friends would enjoy themselves, as well they should. He had ruined enough of their time together. He had, after all, helped them to get together in the first place. He knew that he never should have gotten jealous in the first place. He drowned his thoughts on the matter with the questions that had been plaguing him since his conversation with Arabella, as he got ready for bed. He lay awake for a long time. He was still awake when Ron had come up and gotten into bed, obviously still breathless from his evening of snogging. Slowly Harry drifted into an uneasy sleep….

At 7am on Saturday, Harry dragged his very tired body out of bed. He had had two nights of terrible sleep, which hadn't helped at all in Double Potions the day before. Snape made sure that he had criticized everything that Harry did wrong, knowing that Harry was making slight mistakes due to tiredness, evident by the dark circles beneath his eyes. 

He shook off the bad memory of the day before as he hauled himself off to the bathroom to get ready for the day. As he stood beneath the steaming water, his dreams from the night before returned to him. They were all fraught with violent images and betrayal from those he most trusted. He shook off his uneasiness at what he saw and finished getting ready. He grabbed his Firebolt and joined his teammates in the Great Hall and ate quickly to get to field at 8am sharp. They went to the locker room and pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor team robes. They ran out toward the field. 

Halfway there they were intercepted by the Slytherin team. Malfoy stood at the front of the pack with the biggest smirk on his face. Angelina Johnson, who was standing at the front of the pack of Gryffindors, looked at Malfoy angrily.

"Malfoy, we have to get to the field. If it's not too much trouble to ask you to please move," said Angelina in the most civil tone that she could muster.

"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to turn down your request. I happen to have a note here from Professor Snape. _I, Professor S. Snape…_" Malfoy was not able to finish reading the note as it was seized form his grasp by an unseen source….

"Hey…. What's the meaning of this! Give that ba…." Malfoy stopped suddenly when he realized who it was that grabbed the paper. Dumbstruck, he stuttered, "P-p-p-professor M-m-mcGonagall…." 

Professor McGonagall held up her hand as she read the note. When she was finished she crumpled it up and said, "Mr. Malfoy, I'm assuming that you are the new Captain so I will direct this to you…. I have the field booked for Gryffindor today as _WE_ need to choose a new team member. Since the Slytherin team had that opportunity last week, by my generosity, and is now a full team… the Gryffindor team's need for the field today takes precedence over the Slytherin team's need. So what that means is… if Professor Snape has a problem with the Gryffindors using the field today… then he can take the issue up with the Headmaster and myself later today. Right now, however, you are dismissed and will return to your dormitory so that the Gryffindor team may commence with their tryouts…."

Malfoy and his team of large burly boys walked away grumbling. 

"Well, come on, the rest of you…. There is no time to stand around gawking…. We are already late."

The shocked group of Gryffindors followed the Head of their house out onto the field. As they walked out the sheer number of Gryffindors that had turned out to watch the tryouts was astonishing. Harry thought that there was probably not one Gryffindor left in the tower. There was a small group of people standing in the center of the pitch, all looking very nervous and exhilarated at the same time. 

Ron was standing right at the front with a very lopsided grin, visibly shaking. But whether he was shaking from anticipation or nervousness or a combination thereof, Harry could not tell. Ron's projected thoughts were too jumbled and intermingled with the crowd of Gryffindors students' thoughts, which seemed to be reverberating through out the air. 

Harry remembering what Arabella had said the day before about when there was crowd which had energies running high, that many times it was very difficult to pull out one person's thoughts, tried instead to project a thought toward his best friend, telling him that he would do fine. He wasn't sure if Ron could focus enough to hear him, but Harry tried to cut through everything else to get to Ron.

The team finally reached the center of the pitch and greeted all of the prospects. Much to the team's surprise, Neville was there. But with his newfound confidence he decided to give it a shot. Colin Creevey, a spunky excitable fourth year who loved snapping pictures especially of Harry, and Nicholas were there as well. Natalie McDonald, a plucky little second year, was the only girl to come to the tryouts.

Professor McGonagall spoke first to the small group of prospects, "I know that you are all nervous, but just remember that this is a test to see who works well under that pressure as well as how much talent you have…. You are all aware that this is only a tryout for the Keeper and there will be only one winner…(all of the prospects nodded) Good. You are all required to use school broomsticks, so that you are all on equal footing where that is concerned…. Now, the procedure of the tryouts is thus… there will be one prospect at each end of the pitch, guarding the hoops. First you will be asked to pass as many times as you can in front of the hoops in thirty seconds…. Next the chasers of the current team will race back and forth to either end of the pitch and try to get twenty throws past you. Finally they will do that again while the beaters are constantly batting Bludgers at you, while you are again trying to catch as many of the throws from the Chasers that you can. The one who does the best will then compete against the next person in line.

"Now the order in which you will tryout is alphabetically by year. So the first two to try out will be… First Year Mr. Rockley and Second Year Miss McDonald. The rest of the prospects will be out of the pitch and waiting in the locker room. When each match is finished, Harry will come to get the next prospect…. Now off you go…." She waited for the three prospects that were not playing at the moment the leave the field and signaled Nicholas and Natalie to get up into the air in front of the goals. She was left standing with the current team. "Now most of you know your roles… Mr. Weasleys one of you to each end with a Bludger, when Madam Hooch gets here with the Quidditch balls. Miss Johnson, Miss Spinnet, and Miss Bell you know what you need to do…. And Mr. Potter if you would follow me…." As the others kicked off the ground and flew high above them, Professor McGonagall and Harry went up into the stands. 

Harry sat down next to Professor McGonagall miserably. He had been so happy about getting out to the pitch to fly, which always seemed to clear his head, but now he was stuck in the stands with the rest of the Gryffindor students.

"Harry, I know that you really want to get out there and fly…"

"Am I that obvious?" asked Harry flatly.

"Yes, but there is a reason other than the fact that the Seeker is not really needed for the tryouts that I wanted to talk to you and have you up here with me…"

"Why is that?"

"How do I put this?" she said more to herself than to Harry. "I think it might be best if you don't try out for captain this year…. While I think that you are a very talented and gifted player… I think that you have a lot to deal with right now, with the extra classes and other things that have been happening this year…"

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He had wanted to tryout for captain, but he also felt the same way as McGonagall about the situation. Even so he began to halfheartedly protest. "But Professor…"

Professor McGonagall put her hand on his arm to stop his protest, and looking at him deep in the eyes said, "Harry…." Harry looked surprised at her. That was the first time she had ever addressed him by his first name. He knew that whatever she had to say after that was important. She continued cryptically, "I understand your feelings about this…. But there is much that you do not yet understand…. It is for the best this way. And I believe that you know this to be true somewhere deep inside of you…."

Harry could no longer take her penetrating glance so he looked at his feet, looking back at her only when he had thought about what she had said, but still unable to completely meet her eyes. "Yes. I guess that you're right…. But why can't I try and, if I do well, become co-captain of the team or something…"

"There is always that possibility I suppose, but I think perhaps it might not be wise…."

Harry nodded, disappointed and yet relieved at the same time.

"Now I need your help counting the number of times that the prospects fly back and forth in front of the hoops. You count Nicholas and I'll count Natalie. Ah, finally there is Madam Hooch with the Quidditch balls now." Professor McGonagall stood up in front of the magical megaphone that Lee Jordan, the Weasley twin's friend who usually said the commentary for the Quidditch games, used and said, "May I have your attention, please? Right…. The tryouts are about to begin…. Madam Hooch, if you please…."

She waved at Madam Hooch who signaled the two to get ready to race back and forth in front of the Hoops. "On my whistle…. Three…. Two…." She blew her whistle and the two prospects took off. Harry counted as Nicholas passed quite quickly in front of all the hoops. When Madam Hooch blew her whistle again, he had passed in front of the hoops about 45 times. 

When Harry and Professor McGonagall compared the numbers, it seemed the two were just about evenly matched. Natalie had actually gotten a few more than Nicholas.

Madam Hooch then signaled the Chasers to get into the air. She threw up the Quaffle and they raced toward Nicholas, who was obviously ready for them, blocking their throw quite easily. The Chasers then raced down to the other end of the field and threw the same easy throw at Natalie, who also caught it quite easily. This continued for some time each throw becoming more complex and stronger until the twenty throws were finished. Again the two seemed to be evenly matched, though Natalie had missed catching one throw, but had succeeded in hitting it away from the hoops.

Madam Hooch then blew her whistle once again and the two beaters went one to each end. The Bludgers were charmed to keep returning to and floating in front of the Beaters until needed, so that they could keep hitting the Bludgers at the prospects and then released. The Bludgers headed straight toward the twins and they expertly slammed them at each of the prospects at precisely the right moments. Nicholas had narrowly escaped one of the Bludgers that Fred had hit toward him and had successfully caught the Quaffle in the process, but Natalie was not so lucky…. She saw the Bludger come right toward her as she reached out for the Quaffle and screamed and pulled herself into a tight ball on her broom. The Quaffle went right through the hoop that she had been trying to protect. From there it went down hill for Natalie…. She knew that she had lost so it seemed like she stopped trying. The whistle blew and everyone returned to the ground. Nicholas was declared the winner of the first set.

"Mr. Potter if you would go and get Mr. Creevey…. He is the next prospect." 

Harry nodded at Professor McGonagall. He was about to walk down the stairs when she said, "Wouldn't flying down there be faster Mr. Potter? You do after all have your broom here…." She looked at him with a smile in her eyes, though it never quite made it to her lips. Harry smiled broadly at her. He picked up his broom and flew out of the box and down to the pitch near the entrance to the locker rooms. It hadn't been long in the air, but it had definitely made Harry feel a bit better, as he dove there. He got off his broom and walked into the locker room where three very nervous people were sitting waiting. "Colin you're up…" Colin shot up and jerkily walked out to the field with Harry, who threw sympathetic smiles to the other two sitting waiting.

When they emerged from the locker room, Harry and Colin noticed Nicholas standing in the middle of the team. Harry grabbed his broom and flew back up to the box where McGonagall sat comforting a now very distraught Natalie. Harry landed and sat next to Natalie on the other side. "You did very well Natalie…. And you've got plenty of chances to try to get on the team again. Next year we will have five openings on the team and with the speed you were able to go back and forth in front of those hoops, I suspect you would make a great Chaser…," said Harry, smiling, after he heard her say that she had completely blown her chances of ever getting on the team.

She lifted her head off of Professor McGonagall's shoulder and looked at him. "Really?"

"Really."

Professor McGonagall smiled broadly to herself at Harry's comments. Just then Madam Hooch's whistle blew again and Nicholas and Colin rose in the air to begin their competition. She blew her whistle again and the two boys raced back and forth. When the first test was over, Nicholas was once again evenly matched to his opponent. But it slowly became evident that Colin, too, was no match for Nicholas.

Harry then flew down to get Neville. He walked into the locker room and Neville squeaked as Harry called his name. "What's wrong, Neville?"

"I don't know if I can go through with this, Harry," he said in a very high pitched voice.

"Sure you can, Neville. If you don't succeed this time there's always next year. Come on!" Harry pulled Neville to his feet who would not move for several more minutes, as if he were rooted to the spot. Finally after a few more minutes of gentle persuasion by both Ron and Harry he stepped forward and walked with confidence to the field. Harry once again flew up to the box that Professor McGonagall was sitting in with both Natalie and a very glum looking Colin. Knowing that Colin was always bubbly and happy, Harry knew that he was upset about not making the team. Harry said, "Why so glum, chum…. You can still be the Gryffindor team's official photographer this year…. You've never failed to get wicked shots of the games…. And you can tryout again next year…" 

Colin smiled and so did Professor McGonagall, again to herself. That was the second time that Harry had done that, like a truly good captain would do…. Professor McGonagall was seriously thinking over Harry's request to try out for a chance to become a co-captain. Her thoughts were interrupted as the third round began with Madam Hooch's whistle. 

Neville turned out to be quite good, to everyone's surprise. And in fact there was a need to have a few extra throws to see who would move on to the next round. The Chasers started out at Neville's end of the pitch. Alicia threw her best shot at Neville and he easily grabbed the Quaffle, dodging the Bludger that George had just hit toward his face.

The Chasers raced toward Nicholas and tried their surprise shot as Katie got just off to the side out of Nicholas' peripheral vision. Fred shot a Bludger at Nicholas' side as Angelina faked throwing the Quaffle at one of the other hoops. Nicholas didn't fall for the fake though and follow her eyes to where Katie was. Forgetting about the Bludger he raced toward Katie. Just as he reached her, he remembered the Bludger. He saw that he had a choice between avoiding getting hit by the Bludger or catching the Quaffle that was in the air heading toward his position. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as his mind raced to try to decide what to do….

Just as the Bludger reached him he flipped in the air and grabbed at the Quaffle with both hands, almost falling off of his broom. He managed to stay on his broom and bring himself upright after the Bludger returned and almost knocked him off of it. He tossed the Quaffle back to the Chasers who smiled broadly at him for his moves. Neville in awe of the moves that he had just seen Nicholas do, was distracted enough to miss the next Quaffle thrown at him. Madam Hooch's whistle blew and everyone returned to the ground.

With his mouth still hanging open, he shook Nicholas' hand and congratulated him on the wicked moves. Harry landed next to Neville and clapped him on the back. "You were brilliant, Neville. And see if you had never come out in the first place you wouldn't have know how good you are…"

"But I didn't make it on the team…."

"I know, but you and Nicholas were the best pair of competitors yet. You did great. And I, for one, would be proud to have you, if you came back next year to try out again…." The rest of the team nodded at him, smiling. Neville walked up to the box where Professor McGonagall was sitting while Harry went to get a very anxious Ron. When they walked out Ron was surprised to see that Nicholas was still on the pitch.

"Is he that good?" asked Ron quietly to Harry.

"He's good, but don't let that stop you. I've seen you play as a Keeper when we've played at the field near the Burrow. You have some great moves. Go. I have faith in you…." 

Ron beamed at Harry and bounded off to the group in the center of the field. Harry flew back up to the box and sat ready for a really great showdown between the two. He sat down next to Professor McGonagall and said, "This should be something…"

Professor McGonagall nodded in agreement and muttered absentmindedly and almost inaudibly, "He plays like his father would have if he had ever tried out for the team…."

"Who, Professor?" asked Harry.

"Hmm, oh, Nicholas…"

"But I thought he lives with his mother and step-father, that his father isn't known…," said Harry slyly.

"Oh, he is definitely his father's son…. Looks just like him at that age…," she replied vaguely. But for Harry that was enough to almost completely confirm his suspicions about the boy. He just needed some proof now…..

Just then Madam Hooch's whistle blew. Ron and Nicholas shook hands, rose up in the air, and went one to each of end of the field. Madam Hooch's whistle blew again and they raced back and forth in front of the hoops. It was quite obvious that Nicholas was tiring because he did not do as well as Ron in this test. Ron had gotten the same amount as Nicholas had in the first round.

Madam Hooch's whistle blew again and the Chasers rose in the air, after Fred and George Weasley had whispered something to them. Harry even being high up in the box and having the crowd full of excited Gryffindors between them was able to hear the thoughts that they had concerning what they had just mentioned to the Chasers. They had told them that they did not want them to give Ron any special treatment just because he was their brother and Harry's friend. They asked them to be, in fact, very hard on him. 

The Chasers were up and heading directly for Ron. They performed one of their harder moves to block and Ron blocked it as if it were an easy one. They then went to the other end of the field and performed a similar move on Nicholas who also blocked it easily. They went back and forth until they had finally done so for twenty times each. At that point Ron and Nicholas were both evenly matched, having blocked every single throw that the Chasers had thrown at them.

Madam Hooch's whistle was blown for the last time and Fred and George rose in the air and headed to each end of the pitch. Fred and George strategically placed themselves above the action occurring on the field. They watched for precisely the right moments to hit the Bludgers at the two prospects, neither of whom could really see their attackers. 

They started out easy, but still playing dirty with how they hit the Bludgers at the prospects. They almost seemed to be trying to out do each other with how they were hitting the Bludgers toward Ron and Nicholas. When they finally came to the end of the set they were really trying to make it difficult for both Ron and Nicholas to get the Quaffle and miss the Bludger. 

Nicholas could sense where Fred was above him and while he dove for the Quaffle that Angelina had just whipped at the lowest hoop, which was the furthest away from him at the moment, Fred hit a Bludger toward his head….

He felt the breeze of the Bludger as he whizzed by his ear, missing him by less than two centimeters as he had shifted himself on his broomstick, just at the right moment to grab the Quaffle. Nicholas hugged the Quaffle to him as he returned to the center guarding spot between the hoops and threw it confidently toward the Chasers who then raced down the pitch toward Ron.

Ron sat upon his broom poised, ready for anything that the Chasers could throw at him. He could sense that his brother George was waiting for the precise moment that he needed to thoroughly distract him from getting the Quaffle. He kept himself ready for both attacks. Katie approached with the Quaffle. Ron watched her closely and noticed that she was spotting Alicia who was slightly behind her. 

He watched both girls closely. Katie faked a throw at one of the hoops and instead passed it to Alicia, just as Ron thought she would. They performed several distracting moves like that for a short time. He watched all three of them closely and noticed that Angelina winked at his brother, which had been a signal that she was about to shoot the Quaffle. 

When the Quaffle finally reached her hands, she made like she was going to shoot the Quaffle at Alicia, but Ron knew better and waited for just a moment for the Quaffle to leave her hands. He dove for the Quaffle and heard the Bludger being hit by his brother. As he turned his head to watch the Quaffle he could see the Bludger right on his tail.

He raced against the Bludger to get to the Quaffle, knowing it was right behind him and if stopped it would hit him directly in the back. Ron reached out for the Quaffle and missed getting it by millimeters….

Not wanting to stop and get hit by the Bludger, he did a strange sort of flipping twist in the air and got out of the path of the Bludger and caught the Quaffle just in time. 

He threw the Quaffle back to the Chasers and they raced down to the other end of the field. It was the second to last throw that they would have to trip up Nicholas before they would have to do extra throws. 

They performed the same sort of moves with Nicholas that they did with Ron, with a few added twists where they faked throwing the Quaffle at the hoops a few more times. When they finally threw it at the hoops, Nicholas flew up to catch it as the Bludger raced down toward him. He flipped and tried to twist in the air to catch the throw. But he had misjudged and had flipped a little to high. His fingers just brushed the top of the Quaffle, which was enough to knock it off course, so that it did not go through the hoop.

Once the Quaffle was back in the Chasers hands they again raced up the field toward Ron. He knew that this was the last throw, unless Nicholas was able to block the next one, which was very likely, seeing as how he had done an excellent job so far. 

Ron watched them closely and waited for the signal that they were going to shoot the Quaffle, but it never came. He realized that he must have given away the fact that he was watching them for a sign. He reached out with his mind toward his brother whom, he realized, was giving the Chasers signals. He silently and unobtrusively listened to his brother's thoughts.

When the moment came his brother's mind screamed, _Now!_ Ron heard his brother hit the Bludger as he watched Katie race at one of the hoops. Ron swooped down to meet her as she threw the Quaffle toward the high hoop, which, Katie realized too late, was directly at Ron's position. Ron reached out for the Quaffle, completely forgetting about checking where the Bludger was. There was a sickening crunch as the Bludger plowed directly into Ron's lower spine….

Ron yelped in pain, flipped in the air, and grabbed at the Quaffle anyway. He managed to grab it and throw it back to the Chasers, who turned and raced back down the field, moments before his legs let go of his broom, as they were no longer functioning due to a severed spinal cord. 

He felt himself falling and just before he thought he should be hitting the ground he realized he was hovering 20 feet above the ground. George had brought his wand with him and had whipped it out when he saw his brother fall off the ground. "Wingardium Leviosa!" he yelled. He knew that at 35 feet away (above Ron) he could not hold onto him for long. 

Harry, seeing Ron stop to grab for the Quaffle and having the Bludger plow into him, knew that his best friend had been seriously injured. Everyone in the box was on their feet, but Harry grabbed his broom and flew out over the field and made it just in time before George could no longer hold onto him. Harry gently lowered to the ground with his friend who was in excruciating pain.

George came down to the ground quickly and handed his Bludger back to Madam Hooch. Then he fell to his knees next to his brother that he had just injured. "Ron, I'm so sorry…."

"Don't worry about it," said Ron with a grimace. "I'll be fine." Ron felt himself starting to slip out of consciousness. Next thing he remembered seeing was Madam Pomfrey above him. 

Madam Pomfrey was summoned and she came out to the field immediately. She quickly repaired the damage to Ron's vertebrae, but she could only give him a potion to help stimulate the nerves to come back together. "I'm afraid it will take a day or two for you to recover from this injury, Mr. Weasley. You are not going to be able to walk until the spinal cord is healed I'm afraid, or fly for that matter either…."

Slowly the Gryffindors that had watched the tryouts had trickled away, as Madam Pomfrey was healing Ron, and headed back toward the common room and the Great Hall for lunch. Everyone was on the field gathered around Ron. Ron turned to Harry and said, "So what happened? Did Nicholas catch the Quaffle? Am I on the team or is he?"

"Don't worry about that now Ron…."

"No! Don't do that! I want to know did he make it on the team or did I…." 

"Oh, all right Ron. If you must know…. You made the team. Congrats, mate!"

"But what about Nicholas…."

"He was so distracted by what happened to you that he totally missed the Quaffle…"

"Well, then that wasn't fair…. We will have to have a rematch…."

"No, mate," said Nicholas. "You are obviously the better man for the job…. That was an amazing save, by the way…."

Madam Pomfrey levitated Ron off of the field on a stretcher to the Hospital wing. Harry got up and looked at Professor McGonagall. "Now what? How are we supposed to choose a captain when our newest team member can't play or try out for captain? It wouldn't be fair if we did this without him."

"Spoken like a true team captain…," said Professor McGonagall to herself. She seemed to ponder the situation and then after telling them to go get lunch and meet back there in an hour, she took off after madam Pomfrey and Ron. As they walked to the Great Hall, the team discussed the tryouts with the former prospects. The team and former prospects continued to chat excitedly through lunch and on their way back to the pitch, until Professor McGonagall returned a few minutes after they got there.

"Okay, this is what we are going to do…." They all looked at her and in her hands was one of the models that Harry recognized as what Oliver Wood, the old team captain, had used to figure out plays for the team in the Quidditch final two years prior. "If you would all follow me to the Hospital wing, we will decide who will be the captain there…. The former prospects for the Keepers position may come to watch if they wish."

"But, Professor, how are you going to choose the captain in the Hospital wing?" asked Colin.

"Probably with the model you see in her hands," said Harry. "That was used by Wood to figure out plays for the team two years ago…. Am I right, Professor?" 

Professor McGonagall, being impressed by Harry all day, finally gave him a rare smile and nodded.

Colin said, "Okay, but how?"

"That I'm not entirely sure of…."

When they reached the hospital wing they surrounded the bed that Ron was on and Professor McGonagall explained. "Each of you who wish to try out for captain will plan the offensive and defensive moves that you wish to have being used. The procedure is similar. You will start off in a pair. One of you will plan the offensive and one the defensive moves for a particular set and then you will switch. You will direct the actual players to do certain moves and they will prod the figures to move like they would on the field. Each pair will have twenty minutes, ten on offence, and ten on defense. Again the winner will advance to compete against the next person. We'll start with the oldest and go to the youngest this time. Now who wants to tryout for captain."

The three girls decided that they would like to try out and Harry and Ron.

"Good now the offensive team are the Chasers and Seeker and the Defensive team are the Beaters and the Keeper."

Each of the girls tried and the best seemed to be Angelina. She advanced to try to compete against Ron. They seemed evenly matched and after twenty minutes there was a draw between them. Professor McGonagall then suggested that Harry try to compete against both of them. Again he was evenly matched with the other two.

Professor McGonagall looked thoroughly perplexed. "Well, that has never happened before. Three of you evenly matched…."

Harry looked at her, "Professor, owing to what we talked about before, I will step out and let the other two be the co-captains…."

"No, Harry," said Ron. "I'm the new person on the team. I should back out of the position…."

"I'm graduating next year, so maybe I should step aside…"

Professor McGonagall looked on the scene. She had no idea what to do. She watched them banter around the idea of who should step aside. Finally she held her hands up in frustration. "All right, enough…. You are all qualified to be captains. I think that we should put it to a vote."

"Why don't we just have them all as captains," suggested George. "We do have three games to play, after all…"

"If we make it to the final… yes, but I believe that the vote should be cast, now." She conjured a box and had each of them sign one or two names to a slip of paper. "Remember…. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter will absolutely be the captains next year, but…." She picked up the box and walked to the other end of the Hospital Wing to count to votes. 

It was a very close vote. "This year the captains are…. Mr. Potter and Miss Johnson…. Congratulations." Harry looked at his best friend and knew that he was disappointed at the fact that he didn't get it this time. He had hoped that Ron had gotten the vote, but he had instead. He suddenly felt the strain of the incredible burden that he had just taken on. He knew that the team depended on him for catching the Snitch… but now they also were depending on Angelina and him to lead them to victory.

He smiled sadly at Ron and sat there while Professor McGonagall and the others began to trickle away, until only Harry and the twins remained. Harry watched silently as Professor McGonagall took Angelina aside, obviously telling her what she had told Harry earlier in the day. He watched as Angelina smiled and nodded and then glanced at Harry.

The twins and Harry looked at Ron who was sitting brooding. Harry went to touch Ron on the arm and Ron pulled it back like it burned him. "Look guys I understand why you're here. But right now I'd just like to be alone…."

Harry and the twins nodded. The twins left as Harry got up from the bed. Harry was just about to leave when he turned back to his friend and said, "Ron, welcome to the team…. You were bloody brilliant out there, mate. I for one am proud to have you on the team. I'm sorry that you did not make captain…. I wish that you did. I know that I voted to have you as captain. I know that you are a brilliant strategist, because of how well you beat me at chess all the time…. I'm honored to share the post of Captain with you next year. I'm just sorry that you didn't get it this year." With that said, Harry turned on his heel and walked swiftly from the room. 

Ron had listened to what Harry had said and was impressed with how leader-ly he had begun to sound. Harry sounded like he had practiced that speech, but Ron knew that Harry had come up with it on the spot, having read the thoughts that were projected at him. He also knew that Harry was telling him the absolute truth about voting for him and Angelina. He wasn't sure why, but he knew that there was another reason, other than wanting Ron to be the captain this year, behind why Harry voted for Ron and not himself, but Harry had it closely guarded.

When Harry got back to Gryffindor tower, Fred and George had set up a little impromptu party for Angelina and him, being that they had missed dinner to tryout for captain. They said that when Ron got out of the Hospital Wing they would arrange a bigger celebration for all of them. The Gryffindors that were left in the common room were only too happy to celebrate their new Quidditch team captains. Slowly people trickled away to their dorms. Harry was the first of the team to say good night, as he had gotten terrible sleep the two nights prior. He slowly got out his Quidditch robes and climbed into his pajamas and bed. 

Again he lay there for a long time, his mind racing through everything. He finally settled into a deep dreamless state.


	11. Hogsmeade

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Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

Blunt-but –honest – I thank you for your candor. And as you have taken the time to critique my work I would like to respond to you, even though I feel that you will probably never return. First of all… I have taken my style of writing directly from what JKR does… so the big chunks of information from other books, is there to help the reader follow where I got my ideas from, just as JKR does. You may think that there is direct quote in there, but much of what I wrote from the other four books was from memory and not pulling directly from the books. Also that is much in my story that is mine…. but as the year is just beginning… there will be more from the other books first…. I feel that this part in fact does not slow the reader down because if they truly are a fan then they can skim it or enjoy reading my interpretation of it…. Now as for your other comments… Yes the "two girls" and it is not that Hermione is a Hermaphrodite, if you had read the rest of the paragraph closely you would have seen I mention her in this statement "Cho and Ginny made him laugh almost every night, though there was some sadness that never seemed to leave him, and though they didn't know exactly why they figured, correctly, that it had partially to do with his two best friends who had become a couple." I do in fact make Harry a loner because I wrote this on the clues that I got from JKR's books and If you have read JKR's OotP you will have noticed that he has become the loner that I felt he would. And it's not that Harry doesn't go to Hermione for help… it's just that at this point he feels like the third wheel… Honestly tell me would you go to your best friend and talk to her if you felt like you were just a third wheel… I'm not sure I would. But that is me, hence this is my story…. And as for your last statement about how I killed Harry… well you obviously did not finish reading the chapter… or you would have seen that he did not die, merely that he went through something to help him advance his abilities! But I digress I've written a long enough response about your comments… If you cannot take the time to truly read all of my ficcy and then assess my writing skills then I should not have to spend any more time on your critique of my work!

Shdurrani/Alex – Thank you for your compliments! I am very glad you like it!!! I hope that you will return to read more! Thank you for taking the time to read and review! :-D :-D :-D :-D

Oxi-Nu – WELCOME! I'm so glad that you like it!! Thank you for taking the time to read and review! :-D :-D :-D :-D 

Butler – Thank you for your compliments! I am very happy you like it! Thank you for taking the time to read and review!! :-D :-D :-D :-D 

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CHAPTER ELEVEN – HOGSMEADE

The next Saturday Ron and Harry got up early. They were excited for their first trip of the year to Hogsmeade. They walked down to the common room, with their full moneybags jingling at their hips, where they going to meet Hermione for breakfast. They were the first students to head to Hogsmeade on that day. They were to start leaving at nine and had to be back by three that afternoon. They could not wait to run wild through the many shops they had in one of the only small all-wizarding towns in Britain. 

When they got to the common room they were surprised to see some of the remnants of the party that Fred and George had thrown together for Ron, Angelina, and Harry the night before. Until they realized that Hermione was already there and talking animatedly with four house elves in the corner. Two of them Harry recognized as Dobby and Winky, who was the house elf of the man that had been Mad-Eye Moody's imposter during Harry's prior year. 

Dobby seemed to be nodding in agreement to whatever Hermione was saying. Winky and the other two house elves were shaking their heads violently, their ears flapping and trying to back away from Hermione. Harry and Ron glanced at each other knowingly. She had started the House Elf Liberation movement the prior year. She was obviously trying to convince them once again that they needed to think about trying to get pay and decent clothing instead of the tea towel toga-like uniforms stamped with the Hogwarts' crest that they wore all the time.

Harry and Ron approached Hermione and told her that they needed to talk to her. She huffed and followed them away from the house elves, who quickly completed their appointed tasks and left before Hermione, Ron and Harry had finished their somewhat heated discussion on the matter.

"Hermione, we are not saying that we disagree with you and your plight, but the house elves are happy doing what they are doing. And it is obvious that if they really wanted to be paid and have time off that they could have it. Dobby is proof of that…," said Harry.

"I suppose that you're right, but I still think it is wrong to have them as slaves…."

"As do we." 

Ron simply nodded in agreement to what both of them had been saying.

"Anyway, Hermione, we need to get down to breakfast so that we can go to Hogsmeade…. We don't want to miss our chance to go."

She turned around wanting to say more to the elves and realized that they had finished their jobs and moved on. Hesitantly she nodded in agreement, frustration showing plainly on her face from being thwarted from her mission. 

Breakfast was a quiet affair between the three of them. Slowly the other Gryffindor fifth years trickled in and began chatting excitedly about their trip. Soon even Hermione couldn't help being enthusiastic. Harry and Ron began discussing animatedly about what they were going to do first. When all of the fifth years saw Filch appear at the entrance to the Great Hall, they knew it was time to leave. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione, having been some of the first fifth years to get to the Great Hall, were among the first to get to their feet and head to the front doors. When they arrived in Hogsmeade they took a deep breath in and enjoyed the crisp fall air. Harry and Ron dragged Hermione to their usual haunts. 

They started out at Honeydukes and dropped a fair amount of their gold on their favorite sweets. As Harry left the shop he thought briefly about the passageway that was in the basement storeroom that led back to Hogwarts. He smiled when he thought of the times that he had used it in his third year after the twins had given him the Marauder's Map, when there was no other way for him to visit the all wizard town. Thinking about the map made Harry stop for a moment. He stood still for a moment remembering about his birthday gift from Lupin and Sirius… the quill. He vowed to see what it did that very evening before he went to bed.

Then they went off to Zonko's Joke Shop and dropped most of the rest of their gold there. Just as they were about to leave Zonko's Ron and Harry both noticed in the corner of the dusty shop was a small display of innocent looking wands, pastries, and candies with a small sign above it with three letters very prominently standing out from it: "W, W, W". Harry and Ron exchanged a look and walked over to the tiny display to have a better look at the only thing in the shop that they had seemed to miss. The sign read _Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes_. Harry's eyes flew open wide, as did Ron's.

"I don't believe it… They really are making their inventions work, but…. How did they get the money to do this?"

Harry looked uncomfortable and couldn't meet his friend's eyes. Hermione figured out exactly how it must have happened, from part of a conversation that she had recently overheard between Harry and the twins after their advanced class one night….

"Harry, we just wanted to tell you about some new developments pertaining to our business, being that you are a silent partner and all," Fred had said. They dropped back from the group a bit and quietly discussed everything. But since Hermione remembered that Fred and George had started this business last year, she figured that this was what they had talked about that night. She remembered correctly about how Harry didn't really want his gold that he had won from the Tournament and that he must have given it to Fred and George, who felt obligated to make Harry a silent partner in that business.

Harry silently stood there mildly surprised about the development. Fred and George had told him recently that they had found a way to get some of their inventions sold, but when Ron had started spouting about how his brothers were able to do it, he was a bit worried that Ron might figure out how they had done it. Hermione looked at Harry and he knew that she must have figured it out. To his surprise she said nothing to Ron, instead she winked at him and lead Ron away from the display.

"Ron, I've always wanted to check out the little path that leads to the back edge of the Dark Forest…. I've heard that it is a very quiet and secluded path that a lot of um… couples wonder down." Hermione blushed as she said this, but it effectively seemed to take Ron's mind off of the display that she was steering him away from. She looked over at Harry and said, "Do you mind, Harry?"

"Not at all. Go have fun. I'll meet you at the pub for a drink later."

Hermione and Ron grinned broadly at Harry and left the shop. Harry went to the counter and asked the caretaker of the shop, Witty Zonko, how well the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes were doing and explained that he was the silent partner of the business.

The rosy cheeked middle aged man with a perpetual grin replied, "One of the best new displays I've ever had actually. I've sold more of those gags in the first week than I have all of my others combined this week. I'm actually running out of them. I'll need to have them send down some more really soon. I must say I was a bit skeptical about their products at first, but now I feel that it was the best decision that I made selling them that little corner…."

Harry smiled and told Mr. Zonko that he would be sure to let the twins know. He walked out of the shop with a smile on his face, knowing that Fred and George would soon have enough money to open their own shop, which was of course their ultimate dream. He stepped out into the crisp, fresh air and wondered around the town for a while, stopping in the post office just to marvel at all the owls that were there. He enjoyed watching them come in and take of with various sized bundles and letters. 

After a short while he stepped back out to the street and walked up to the fence surrounding the shrieking shack, the proclaimed most haunted dwelling in all of Britain, but Harry knew better. This was where Lupin came as a student when his transformations were close at hand so that he could not hurt anyone in his altered state as a werewolf. As he stood there looking up at the strangely eerie looking house, he got a lurching feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt like he was being watched….

He reached out with his mind to see who was nearby without turning around. Strangely there wasn't anyone close enough to him to be watching him as intently as Harry felt he was being watched. He looked up at the Shrieking shack and through the window he was sure that for a brief moment he saw a shadow move, which made him jump and blink. 

He studied the window for some time after that, trying to figure out if what he saw was real or imagined. Just as he concluded that it must have been a part of an overactive imagination, he felt a hand on his shoulder, which made him jump and swing around….

There standing before him was a startled Professor Clovis, who had pulled back her hand when she had felt Harry jump. "Harry, I'm so sorry…. I didn't meant to surprise you like that…."

"That's okay, Professor. I'm just feeling a bit jumpy right now." Harry debated whether or not to tell her about what he had seen up in the Shrieking Shack. As if hearing his thoughts, she visibly paled and looked up at the house in the very window that Harry had seen the movement.

She put hand on his shoulder again and looked up into his emerald eyes. There was something in her eyes that Harry could not distinguish, but at that moment he had the strangest urge to kiss her. He looked away from her and said, "So are you one of the professor's proctoring the trips to Hogsmeade today?"

"Actually, no…. I've not been in Hogsmeade before today, except at the train station. I decided to come and check it out. I saw you walking alone up here and I know that no student is supposed to be here by themselves so I decided to come and find out if you were truly alone or if your friends were around with you."

"Actually I'm going to meeting up with Ron and Hermione for a drink in a while. They just went erm… for a walk."

"I see. Would that be down the lover's walk by the Dark Forest?"

"Erm… How did you know about that?"

"I'm supposed to know all about everything here, since I'm a Professor and at some point will be proctoring the trips. But it's not right that they left you alone. I wouldn't want you to be sent home early if you were caught by yourself, so…. Would you care for some company?" 

Harry's heart pounded, hands started sweating, and mouth suddenly seemed glued shut. He had wished for a moment to get to know his beautiful professor better. But now that it was here he didn't know what to say. He felt strangely dumb as no words came to him to say. He mentally kicked himself telling himself that she was just trying to keep him out of trouble and that she was a professor, that she had no feelings for him.

Eventually after completely reaming himself out for a few moments he smiled and nodded at her, feeling slightly surreal about the situation. They walked down to the Village and Harry showed her around a bit before they went into The Three Broomsticks pub, waiting for Ron and Hermione to show up. Harry had so many questions that he wanted to ask as he and Professor Clovis sat down with their butterbeers, but he really didn't know where to start. 

"Harry, does it seem weird to you to be sitting here with a Professor outside of class?" asked Professor Clovis noticing the nervous look on Harry's face. 

Harry once again found that words escaped him, so he just nodded. She gave him a brilliant smile that made Harry go weak in the knees. He felt that it was a good thing that he was sitting. She then touched his arm and leaned in toward him. "There's no need to be nervous, we Professors don't bite." Harry laughed nervously and after a short time they were talking animatedly about everything. After some time they came to the subject of their pasts. They found that in some ways they had a few things in common.

Professor Clovis recounted her past briefly, after Harry had given a very brief explanation about his past, leaving many sordid details out. "I guess I should tell you that I've always picked up on magic very quickly. My mother was a brilliant witch that came from a long line of witches and wizards. My father, on the other hand, was the first wizard ever in his family. Unfortunately when Voldemort was in power here, there were several factions over in America that were following him, trying to get noticed by him. Unfortunately both my mother and father got caught in the crossfire during a fight between those factions and died, when I was 8. 

"Because I had always shown a lot of abilities my mother had signed my up for early admittance to the Salem Institute. And because I had no other living relatives, I boarded there and the headmistress became my guardian. She never pushed me, but I developed quickly and was able to take the equivalent to your N.E.W.T.s when I was 12. 

"For the next 6 years I did undercover work for the American Wizard's Spy Network. But since Voldemort had died shortly after my parents had been killed there was not as much activity on that front. So I began to train other older wizards and witches with my methods, but most just didn't take me seriously because of my age. Even so, I did that for nearly 3 ½ years before I found that Hogwarts was looking for a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. So I applied and the rest, as they say, is history."

Harry sat shocked for a minute. He had known that she was young, but not that young. He now understood why she was so good at commanding the presence of the room, since she had to do so with many witches and wizards that were older and obviously had no respect for her. Though, he felt that her beauty had something to do with that as well. He blushed furiously when he admitted that to himself, which of course Professor Clovis noticed. 

Professor Clovis had caught a fleeting thought of Harry's that had been thrust out into the open part of his mind. She heard that he thought that she was beautiful and then watched as his face turned bright red. He looked away from her, trying to hide his embarrassment. She remained quiet trying to collect her own thoughts on how she felt about the situation. 

She had heard about students having crushes on teacher before. She had in fact had a much older wizard, from one of her classes back in the States, try something improper with her, which she was able to get out of without damage, because she could hear his thoughts and knew his intentions. 

But here she was at Hogwarts teaching students younger than she was, and the one person who had caught her attention from the very beginning had a crush on her. She knew it would be inappropriate for anything to develop between them, but she very much wished that it were possible for it to happen. She had a twinge of guilt and shame at the fact that she wanted them to develop into something more than just the professor-student relationship.

Harry, feeling his embarrassment subsiding looked back at Professor Clovis. Their eyes locked. They sat quietly looking in each others eyes, both seeing the unspoken feelings that they had for each other, written in each other's eyes. For one very brief moment Harry had the urge to lean over to her and kiss her.

He began to slowly lean in and realized that she was leaning in too, but just as their lips were about to touch, he was interrupted by someone calling his name….

"Harry," said Hermione, who had just entered the pub with Ron walking behind her, both looking a bit lovesick and completely oblivious to what they almost witnessed. Harry tore his eyes away from Professor Clovis. Professor Clovis took that time to collect herself and shake off the lightheaded, elated feeling that she had from knowing that Harry had just about kissed her. She collected her things quickly.

"Harry, it's been great talking to you…. Now that your friends are back, you'll not be alone and I have a few things that I need to pick up for supplies. So I'll see you in class." She got up quickly and left.

As she closed the door behind her she leaned against the wall collecting her thoughts. She couldn't believe what she had almost done…. She knew that she could no longer be alone with Harry. It was obvious to her that the feelings that she had been having for him the past few weeks ran deeper than she first thought. She pushed herself up away from the wall and ran down the street toward the shops, entering the first one that she came to, just to distract herself from what had almost happened.

Back in the pub Harry sat confused. He knew he had feelings for his teacher, but he also knew that it was wrong, even though she was young. He knew that it would be unwise to be alone with her again, and planned to try his hardest to not let that happen. He felt his pounding heart slow.

Hermione and Ron looked at their best friend, who had been silent and unmoving since Professor Clovis had left the pub. They shared a look and Hermione cautiously spoke up, "Harry are you all right?"

Harry lifted his eyes off of the knot in the wood of the table that he had been staring at and as his cheeks flushed with his obvious embarrassment he said quietly, "All right…. Did you enjoy your walk down lover's lane?"

It was Hermione and Ron's turn to turn red with embarrassment. Ron just sputtered. Hermione kept her head enough to answer quietly, "Yes. The Dark Forest was lovely on this side. We saw some Unicorn foals playing at the edge of the forest. It was wicked…."

Harry suddenly had the urge to go down that path with his Professor, a thought, which he promptly pushed down deep into the depths of his soul. He lifted his bottle of butterbeer and swigged the rest of it down. "Whenever you're ready… I think I'd like to go home…," said Harry.

Hermione and Ron, because of their heightened emotions for each other, had their mind wide open and were able to read may of the projected thoughts coming from all over the pub, most of which they just filtered out. But one thought came rushing to them, and though it was fleeting, they heard enough of it to know exactly what was going on with Harry. They shared a look and quickly finished their butterbeers so that they could leave.

They got up and walked out of the pub and back to the carriages. They rode in silence back to the school. They went back to the tower and Harry proceeded up to his dorm room, while Ron and Hermione sat on the couch in front of the fire and watched him go, without a word. Hermione and Ron sat there snuggling for a few minutes before Hermione stood up and said, "Oh. This is ridiculous! I need to check on something in the library…. Why don't you go up and see if there is anything that you can do to help Harry."

Ron nodded and they went their separate ways. 


	12. Dreams and Visions

__

Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

**__**

CHAPTER TWELVE – DREAMS AND VISIONS

Harry, reaching his dorm room in record time, flopped onto the bed and let his mind travel back through the day for something to distract him from the growing feelings that he was having for his professor. Then he remembered about the Marauder's Map and the quill. He hopped off of his bed and pulled out his trunk. After a few moments, he found what he was looking for. 

He pulled out the piece of old and worn looking blank parchment that the map was invisibly written on and the box that help the quill. He sat down on his bed and unfolded the parchment in front of him. He pulled out his wand, tapped it gently, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Suddenly the parchment seemed to come to life as the map of the whole school appeared on it. Harry opened the box that held the quill and re-read both the article on Wormtail being seen and the note the Sirius had sent him. He felt a slight pang of guilt when he realized that he had been back at school for more than a month and this was the first time that he had thought about this to pull it out. He vowed to keep the parchment and quill with him from then on.

He carefully pulled the snowy owl feather out of its box and put the quill next to the map. Harry watched as the great curly, green words Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers, are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP… that had always appeared across the top of the parchment disappeared. A message box appeared in its place. In the box in the same loopy writing appeared the words: "Please state your name using the quill that activated this box." As quickly as they arrived, the words disappeared.

Harry jumped off his bed and grabbed his ink well out of his school bag. He placed the well on his bedside table and gently dipped the quill into it.

**__**

"My name is Harry Potter…"

"I do not recognize the name Harry Potter… however you do have a surname of one of the creators and you are using the creator's quill… State your parents' names…"

**__**

"My father's name was James Potter or Prongs as you probably know him and my mother's name is Lily Evans Potter."

"Ah, yes…. Hello son…"

Harry's hand quivered. That was the last response that he had expected to get. His breath quickened and his heart pounded in his chest as he dipped the quill into the well again. "**_Dad?_**" Harry watched as his ink disappeared….

Just at that moment Ron burst into the room, making Harry jump. He looked up seeing Ron standing there. "Harry…."

Harry could hear Ron's thoughts and knew exactly why he was there. "Ron, not now…. I'm fine. I just need to…" 

At that moment a response to Harry's question welled up through the paper at Harry and it caught his eye. Ron looked down at what had caught Harry's attention. He walked around beside his friend and sat down.

"What's going on here, Harry? Isn't that the Marauder's Map?" Ron read what was written there on the page.

"Technically I'm not your father yet Harry. You see I found a way to preserve a memory of the four creators of this map, myself included. We finished this map when we were all 16. So the James Potter that you are speaking to is actually not your father yet…. But I am proud to know that my son has taken up where I have left off…"

"Yes, Ron. It is…. Sirius gave me this quill for my birthday and I wanted to find out what was so important about it…." Harry handed Ron the note that Sirius had written to him about the quill. "And as you can see, I just found out that a memory of my father, Sirius, Lupin, and Wormtail at the age of sixteen were preserved in this Map…. They must have used the same magic that Tom Riddle did in his diary…."

"At last someone put that magic to _good_ use. I still hate that my sister got pulled into that snake's world."

"I don't blame you, Ron…. After all he did almost kill her in the Chamber of Secrets just so that he could come back again…."

"Well, thanks to you he didn't succeed…." Ron trailed off thinking about how closely he had come to losing his sister in her first year at Hogwarts because of that diary. "Still. Are you sure you can trust this? After all we did learn that my father was right… that you should never trust something that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain…"

"Ron, I understand your hesitance, but this is my father we are talking about…."

"Yeah but there is also Wormtail…."

"You're right, but that was probably long before he had ever joined Voldemort." 

Ron cringed at the name, but he did have to agree that Harry probably was right. Ron sat quietly and let Harry continue with what he had been doing. Harry noticing that Ron was quiet went back to the map.

**__**

"So what should I call you then? Dad or James?"

"James, for now if you don't mind…. It's not that I'm not proud to be your father, I just… feel uncomfortable with being called Dad when I'm only 16…. Now what can I do for you?"

**__**

" Okay… Well I guess what I really wanted to know was…. What is the real importance of this quill? My Godfather gave it to me and told me that I needed to keep it close in case of emergency."

"Your Godfather? Why would your Godfather give this to you and not your father…. I mean, not me?"

**__**

"James, much has happened and I do not wish to get into it now…. What I'm asking is important…."

"Okay but just one question before I tell you…."

**__**

"Okay…"

"Who is your Godfather?"

Harry looked at Ron and they both smiled at the question before Harry dipped his quill into the ink well and responded.

**__**

"Sirius or Padfoot as you call him…."

"WHAT?!?!?!" came a new handwriting that Harry recognized as his Godfather's. Harry and Ron chuckled at the obvious indignant tone that the question seemed to take on.

"I could not possibly be anyone's Godfather…. I don't want that kind of responsibility…. My spirit is far too carefree for that…."

Harry smiled to himself, thinking about how carefree his Godfather must have been at age 16. He privately wished that his Godfather could have that again, but Harry knew that wouldn't happen until he was exonerated, which Harry hoped would happen soon so that he would not have to return to the Dursley's for another summer.

Harry looked back at the map and noticed that a war of words between his father and godfather was going on. James was arguing why Sirius would make an excellent godfather to Harry, because he was just an overgrown kid himself and that they had grown up together so who else would he have take care of his child if anything had happened to him. Sirius was arguing that he would never settle down enough to be a family man…. Harry and Ron laughed at the argument. Finally when the argument seemed to calm down a bit, Harry dipped his quill into the ink and in a quiet moment wrote:

**__**

" If you two are quite finished, I'd like to have an answer to my question."

"Sorry, Harry… Just got carried away. Okay the quill that you hold in your hand is one of the four that was used to create this map. Only it or one of the other three can be used to do anything with this map… including use this box to access the knowledge held with in this map. Only those who would trust with your life should know anything about this map or about what I'm about to tell you…."

**__**

"Okay."

"This is not the only map that we created…. There are 24 maps that were created in all. Each of the creators had one and the rest are strategically placed throughout the Hogwarts castle, disguised as other things, paintings and the like. Every one of the Marauder left their maps behind when we graduated."

**__**

"Okay, but what does that have to do with the quill?"

"I'm getting to that…. But first I want to show you where the maps are located…."

Several places on the map suddenly had shining, golden spots that weren't there before. Each of the spots had a label on them stating the exact location and what they were hidden in. All of the spots were near an exit or a large room with doors that could easily be locked.

"These spots should be memorized, in case you need to make a quick escape…."

**__**

"Escape?"

"Yes…. How old are you Harry?"

**__**

"15… Why?"

"Is Voldemort still a threat to the world?"

**__**

"Unfortunately… yes…"

"I see…. You are not at the age yet when everything will be explained to you about your responsibility and… your importance to the world. Know only that if you are ever in peril and need to escape from anywhere inside or outside the school, these maps and the quill will help you."

**__**

"How?"

"You need to touch the map with this quill and say, 'Mischief failed. Transportation needed.' Than you will need to point to the location that you wish to travel to. However, if you do this the Map that you leave behind will be wiped clean of all of it's memories and disintegrate promptly thereafter. Effectively cutting down the number of maps that you have to use…."

**__**

"Is there any way to make another map to replace the one that is used?"

"Yes…. However, I will not tell you how here…. There are too many ears and eyes that could use this knowledge to your disadvantage…."

Harry and Ron glanced at each other. They each seemed to be thinking about the same thing.

**__**

"James, what if, say, one of the Marauders decided to… betray the others? Would the maps and their locations be compromised?"

There was a pause, followed by the box filling completely up with green ink. The green ink then changed to a blood red color and emitted a bright, blinding golden glow before disappearing. Harry looked up at Ron questioningly to see if he saw the same thing that he had. Harry noticed the edges of his vision were darkening. He felt his eyes roll back into his head as he fell into darkness….

Ron had watched the exchange between Harry and the map with mild interest. He was still fairly skeptical about it, since it held not only the memory of Harry's father, godfather, and Lupin, but also the memory of the man who betrayed the lot of them, Wormtail.

He was as curious about it as Harry, but he didn't want to put too much faith into it. After what happened to his sister, he found it very difficult to trust any item that thought for itself. But the longer that the exchange took place, the more Ron felt himself doubting his own skepticism. 

Harry did seem to be enjoying talking to his father, even if it were the memory of the 16-year-old version of him. Harry even laughed, something that he hadn't seen him do very often this year. Ron knew that there were many things that weighed heavily on Harry's mind, not the least of which were his newfound feelings for their professor. Even Ron could see why Harry would feel that way. She was after all quite beautiful. 

Ron felt his doubts slipping away, especially when 16-year-old James started telling them about the real purpose of the quill. But just when it seemed trustworthy enough to him, Harry asked the one question that Ron had been curious about since the beginning, _"What if one of the Marauder's decided to betray the others?" _He watched as the box filled with green ink and then turn blood red. 

Harry seemed to stare at it for some time. Ron watched him closely. He barely even looked like he was breathing. Harry almost seemed to have become a statue, except that his eyes seemed to start to glow just like when Harry had had his visions before. 

Ron couldn't stand not knowing what was going on. He looked back down at the map and watched the blood red ink disappear. He reached out with his mind trying to see if there was anything in Harry's mind that could tell him what was going on. He found Harry's mind strangely blank of all thoughts and emotions. Not even the walls, that Ron knew Harry had put up in his mind to block his thoughts and emotions about certain things from the others, were there. 

Ron decided to try to get his attention. "Harry," he said softly. Harry sat unmoving. "Harry," he said again a little louder. He reached out his hand to touch Harry to see if he could get his friend to snap out of it that way. But before he could Harry, he began to slowly lift his head. Harry's eyes met Ron's and Ron froze. Harry had a strange questioning look on his face. 

Ron watched as Harry's eyes rolled slowly back into his head. Then, as if in slow motion, Ron watched in horror as Harry collapsed onto the floor. "Harry!" he yelled. He shook his friend, but when he couldn't rouse his friend he opened Harry's eyes to look at them. What he saw there, made his jaw drop and he shuddered in disbelief…. 

Harry's eyes were still glowing when Ron opened them. But they slowly lost their glow and took on the appearance of the empty shells of a corpse. He watched Harry's breath grow shallow and raspy and then seem to stop altogether. Ron began shaking Harry, but to no avail. 

Ron had never tried sending a message to anyone outside of the room he was in, but he projected a thought right toward Hermione that he need help and to bring Madam Pomfrey. He prayed that the message had gotten to her because he knew he needed to try to figure out what happened to Harry.

Ron ran to the map and picked up the quill. He had intended to just write to find out what happened, but the map was blank. He took out his wand and tried to activate it. When it didn't work the first time, he tried it again and again, prodding the map harder and harder each time. But when that didn't work, he thought that Harry was trapped in the map by Wormtail. He remembered how Harry had released Ginny's spirit from Tom Riddle by jabbing the diary, that had held Tom's memory, with the basilisk's fang that had broken off in Harry's arm when he had killed it.

Realizing that the bed was too soft, Ron pulled the parchment off of Harry's bed and onto the floor next to his best friend. Ron looked around for something sharp to jab into it, but couldn't find anything until he realized that the very quill that they had used to create the map had a sharp tip. He grabbed it and threw himself on the floor in front of the map.

As he lifted the quill into the air, the door to the dormitory flew open and Hermione and Madam Pomfrey came flying in. Seeing what Ron was about to do and knowing his thoughts, she yelled out, "No, Ron! We don't know what will happen if we do that. It could kill Harry!" Hermione started running toward Ron to stop him. But it was too late, she knew that there was no way to stop him in time….

Ron had already begun to bring the quill to the parchment and hadn't heard a word that Hermione had said. Ron felt like there was an eternity between when he had begun to bring his hand down and when he was about to reach the parchment with the quill. But he was determined to stop the thing from hurting his friend any longer. Suddenly a hand was there, blocking Ron's hand's decent toward the parchment, but the sheer momentum of Ron's hand made the tip of the quill pierce the paper any way.

Harry let out an awful yelp and blood appeared on the hand that was holding Ron's hand. He looked over and realized it was Harry's hand that had stopped his from doing considerable damage to the Map. Ron looked down at the paper in front of him and watched as the blood from Harry's hand mingled with the blood red ink flowing up from the parchment. Ron quickly removed the quill from the paper and got up looking at Harry's blood in his hand.

"What have I done?" asked Ron.

"It's okay Ron…. Look," said Hermione.

They watched as Harry's hand, which was now lying on the parchment, and the parchment itself healed with a golden glow. Ron looked on with disbelief evident in his eyes. He looked down at his hands and the blood disappeared from there as well. Ron slumped onto his bed and Hermione sat down and wrapped her arms around him, trying to comfort him as Madam Pomfrey got busy trying to figure out what was going on with Harry.

"Mr. Weasley… if you would please help me to lift Mr. Potter onto his bed…" 

Ron nodded numbly still quite shaken up about what he had almost done. They lifted him onto the bed and she fussed around him for several minutes as Hermione and Ron looked on from his bed. 

"Well," Madam Pomfrey said finally, "He's in no danger… and he is not dead…. He's just in some sort of very deep state of sleep. I'd even go so far as to say he's in a trance of some kind…. I see no need to move him…. He should be fine when he wakes up… though you may want to keep watch over him for a while, just in case…." Madam Pomfrey left the room swiftly.

Hermione and Ron sat very still on Ron's bed. They could not take their eyes off of their sleeping friend. Eventually after several hours of vigilance the exhaustion of the very interesting day overtook them and they fell asleep in each other's arms….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as Harry fell into the darkness, he felt himself beginning to fly backward so forcefully that he felt as if his very essence had been ripped away from his body. He flew backward very fast for quite some time. He saw many colors and shapes rush past him. Harry felt that this was strangely familiar, but he couldn't place his finger onto why. His ears were pounding and he tried to yell, "What's happening?" but no sound seemed to escape his mouth and reach his ears. He felt his hand fly outwards and suddenly there was a sharp, jabbing, pinch on his hand and he yelped in pain, though he couldn't hear it…

Suddenly Harry felt himself stop and everything came into focus again, but he realized that he had not felt the ground under his feet. He looked down and realized that he was once again only in spirit form, floating in the middle of the common room. _What's going on?_ was all he could think of. He looked around and noticed that it was empty. Then at his hand that had gotten pinched and saw that there was blood on it. But strangely, the blood flowed back into the wound and, with a golden glow, healed.

Suddenly four people entered the common room through the portrait hole. Harry studied them, but he couldn't see them that well. One of them looked like himself, another looked like Nicolas, but the other two, though strangely familiar, were not people he recognized. He looked at all of their robes and they were obviously all from Gryffindor. Harry racked his brain for their identities, until one of them began to speak.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked the smallest boy with his back toward Harry, in a strangely high pitched voice, that Harry knew he recognized, but just couldn't put his finger on.

"Don't worry…. This book should help us through the process of creating it," said the boy who he thought was himself, as he held up the book in his hand. 

__

Creating what? thought Harry.

The boy opened the book and he placed in the middle of the table. They muttered quietly and excitedly over the book. Harry couldn't really hear what they were saying. Then the portrait hole opened and in strode four girls. The book quickly disappeared. 

Again Harry studied them. There was a red headed girl that looked strangely like Susan Bones she was laughing together with a girl that looked like Natalie McDonald. The other two girls looked like similar to Hermione and Cho. They were chatting animatedly with each other. Harry noticed that indeed the girl that looked like Cho did have on Ravenclaw robes.

__

Am I in the future? thought Harry briefly before one of the girls began to speak.

"Look who I found skulking around out side the door waiting for a certain black haired gentleman, and I use that term loosely, to notice her there," said Susan to the dark haired boy that Harry wasn't entirely sure of who he was. Cho walked over to him and blushed slightly with her eyes on the floor. The boy lifted her head and placed a soft kiss upon her lips.

Harry was rather shocked to see Susan walk over to the boy who he thought was him, and plant a rather long, intense kiss upon his lips. He did another double take when Hermione went over to Nicholas and did the same to him.

__

What is going on here! thought Harry fiercely. _Where is Ron? I thought he and Hermione were happy together! And who are those two other boys?_

Just then a blond boy that Harry had never seen before and did not recognize at all, came running down the stairs from the boy's dormitory. He surveyed the scene.

"Excuse me!" said the boy.

Everyone jumped apart, swallowed hard, and stared at the boy who had entered the room. 

"How is it that everyone thought it would be okay… to start the party without me," a wide grin broke across his face. He strode across the room and kissed Natalie on the lips softly before saying, "Good evening, Patricia, my love…." 

"Hello, Anthony, dear…."

"Bloody hell, McDonald. Don't sneak up on us like that," said the black haired boy.

Anthony laughed, "What are you afraid of, Black? Do you have something up your sleeve? Something planned that I should know about?"

Black smirked. "I don't know… why don't you ask the brains among us? So what say you, James…. Are we up to no good, tonight?"

"Nope, not a thing," smiled the boy, that Harry thought was himself, slyly. 

Suddenly everything started making sense to Harry. He wasn't looking at himself and his friends, but at the Marauders. He watched the scene for a while, as everyone began to talk animatedly about the Christmas Ball that was coming up, all the while trying to figure out exactly what was going on….

Every time he had ever gone into someone's memory he had fallen forward in to it…. First when Tom Riddle had shown Harry in his second year how he had framed Hagrid for being the one to open the Chamber of Secrets and letting out the monster that had murdered one of the young witches of the school. And then again when he accidentally fell into Dumbledore's Pensieve, the bowl that Dumbledore kept his memories in, last year when he was left alone in Dumbledore's office. So he knew that it probably wasn't a memory, but then what could it be? Then he remembered that when he and Hermione head used her time turner in their third year, that he had been pulled backward, just as he had been this time. So he realized that somehow he had been pulled into the past…. But for what purpose, Harry did not yet know…. But one question that plagued him was, once he found out what he needed to know…. How was he going to get back…..

Harry was drawn out of his thoughts when he realized that the couples were breaking up for the night and the girls all began to leave the room. Harry opened his mind to listen to the thoughts that were flying around the room, as he didn't want to miss anything that could be important to why he was there. Instantly, he noticed that Wormtail's feeble thoughts were centered on the girl that looked like Cho. Wormtail was in fact staring at her and she looked very uncomfortable with him doing that. She moved in closer to Sirius and they walked away.

"Don't stay up too late planning your next _outing_, James," said the redheaded girl that Harry realized was his mother, before she headed up the stairs to her dorm room.

"Lil, you know me… would I ever stay up late for some foolish nonsense like that?" asked James with a very sly look in his eyes.

Lily just rolled her eyes and turned toward the girl that looked similar to Hermione and then toward Patricia, "Are you coming, girls?"

"But of course, do you think we really want to be left down here with these troublemakers? Good night, Remus, my love," said the bushy haired blond. She kissed the boy who looked like Nicholas, sweetly, before walking toward her friend waiting on the stairs.

A lovesick looking Lupin replied with a sigh, "Good night, Enid." 

Harry's mind reeled with realization. _Lupin! I was right! He looks exactly like Nicholas does…. He has to be Nicholas' father!_ Harry vowed to collect more proof as soon as he could. He continued to watch as Patricia joined the other two heading up the girls' stairway. James smirked at Lupin, obviously formulating some sort of plan for teasing him about the exchange that had just taken place between him and his girlfriend. Harry wondered briefly if Enid was Nicholas' mother.

Harry noticed Wormtail was looking toward the portrait hole with longing in his eyes. Harry followed his line of vision to see that his godfather and the girl who resembled Cho were standing holding one another by the portrait hole. 

They kissed softly before separating. Sirius crawled through and opened the portrait hole and held it open for her. "Good night, Sen…. See you at breakfast." He smiled a winning smile, which she returned, showing how much they cared for each other. Lupin, James, and Wormtail had sneaked over by the portrait hole and watched the tender exchange between Sirius and Sen.

As soon as Sirius turned toward the common room, the other three ran back to the table and waited for Sirius to return to the table. They watched as he walked in with a lopsided grin on his face. They all were trying to hold back the laughter, all except Wormtail who looked like he had just eaten something very foul. 

As Sirius sat down at the table rubbing his hands together, he said, "Well, mates… what do you think? Should we get down to business here?"

Having calmed themselves slightly, they all agreed. Wormtail continued to throw icy daggers at Sirius, when no one was looking, and slowly Harry began to realize, that Wormtail was jealous of Sirius because he liked Sen. 

James turned toward Anthony as he pulled out the book again and placed it on the table. "So what do you say, Tony, mate? You going to stay and help us with our little project?"

"As much as I've loved hearing about your… jaunts in the past… I am now the Head Boy and I think I'd rather be able to claim ignorance on the part of your plans… if you ever get caught that is…."

James smiled wickedly, "Don't know why you'd think we would ever get caught…. We have always taken the proper precautions in the past…. Besides with me as a prefect… I don't have to worry about being out after hours any more…"

Anthony laughed heartily. "Too true. However you must admit, you've had a few close calls…. And with that Slytherin chap…. What's his name again?"

"Who? Snape?" growled Sirius.

"That's the one… with him always running around trying to find out what you're up too…. It's only a matter of time."

"Yes, well, with our new plan… I doubt that anyone will ever catch us now… Especially that greasy git Snape…. Or even that Squib git of a Caretaker, Filch, that they hired just last year…," smiled Sirius slyly.

"Why would anyone think that he would be a good Caretaker of the school? He can barely take care of himself. He doesn't even have a Familiar to help him, like Old Man Pringle, the old Caretaker, used to have that dog named Snuffles. And the way Filch skulks around here you'd think that he'd catch a student out of bed, or something, but he's never done anything but clean frog brains off of the ceilings of the dungeons…," said Wormtail quietly and bitterly.

"Well, thanks for the offer mates… really…. But I think that it is best if I just sit this one out," said Tony ignoring Wormtail's rant. Tony stood up and went toward the stairs to the dorms.

"Your loss, mate!" yelled Sirius up the stairs after him. Tony turned, smiled and shrugged before continuing up the stairs to bed.

James pulled the book toward himself and opened it again very carefully, as it was old and looked as if it were about to fall apart at any moment. Harry wished that he could get a closer look at the book and instantly he was at James' side looking at what was in the pages.

After several minutes of discussing what they were going to do, James and Lupin looked at each other with sly, mischievous looks upon their faces. Lupin nodded at some sort of signal that James gave him.

"You know, James, I still don't understand how you were able to _charm_ McGonagall into giving you permission to get this book out of the restricted section of the Library…."

"Yes, do tell," said Wormtail quietly, but completely missing the cues that James and Lupin had been giving each other.

"Not much to tell really…. It's obvious that McGonagall thinks me an angel that can do no wrong…"

"That's cause you suck up to her all the time, mate," interjected Sirius.

"Well, that too…." James smiled broadly.

"Careful there, Prongs. I believe I see the horns holding up the halo," Lupin piped in, smirking.

James smiled innocently. "I think you're thinking of the wrong person there, Moony…," he chuckled. 

"Well, you are the only one that has horns on your other form…," said Wormtail quietly, smirking at his own cleverness.

"They're not horns… they're antlers." James threw a look at Wormtail to shut him up and wipe the smile off of his face. Wormtail finally realized that there was something that James and Lupin were planning, so he kept quiet to see what they were up to.

James and Lupin exchange of words continued for some time to the amusement of Sirius. At first Wormtail was amused as well. But after a while, he looked like he was about to burst, but surprisingly Harry had no idea what he was thinking. He was obviously shielding his thoughts. His face grew redder and redder, but finally he had had enough. "Can we just get on with it here! I'd like to finish this while we still can hold a quill," he yelled, squeakily.

Everyone looked at him in shock. Harry gathered from the thoughts of the others that they were surprised because Wormtail rarely spoke above a whisper and had never used that tone with any of them in the five and a half years that they had known him. James suddenly seemed to get a really bad feeling about Wormtail because he had noticed Wormtail's behavior had become increasingly erratic, but brushed it away and dismissed it as nothing.

Harry shook his head, thinking, _No, Dad, don't dismiss those feelings… they are right!_

Harry noticed one last glance and smirk that his father and Lupin shared. They had definitely gotten carried away on trying to top each other that they had forgotten the real reason that they had began the exchange. James thought fast and came up with a way to get back to their original purpose.

Lupin spoke first though, "Well, thank you for that _charming_ declaration, Wormtail…." Lupin smirked at James.

"Speaking of _charming_…. Padfoot, that display earlier seemed an awful lot like you were getting in deep…. I thought you said that you weren't going to get _serious_ with anyone," said James.

Sirius blushed deeply and looked horrified as realization set in that somehow they had witnessed the exchange between Sen and him.

"Yeah," piped in Lupin, "I think your exact words were, 'My name may be Sirius, but I am most definitely not ever going to be that way… in life or in relationships….' You said that just after you had just watched Prongs over there make a fool of himself when he had asked Lily to our first ball…"

"Oh, thank you for bringing that up…," said James.

"You are quite welcome, sir…"

"How do you remember things like that, Moony?!" yelled an exasperated Sirius. "That was almost two years ago…."

"It's a gift and a curse, I must say, Padfoot," said Lupin, smirking wickedly at his friends. 

"So, how serious are you getting with Sen, Padfoot," chuckled James.

"I'm not getting serious about anyone!!" yelled Sirius, irritated.

"Then what was that?" asked Wormtail loudly, pointing toward the portrait hole and throwing Sirius an icy look. Drawing attention back to himself once again. James and Lupin exchanged a look.

"Nothing! She mean's nothing to me! She's just today's fling! You know that, I would never get involved with someone enough to fall in love!"

"Oooo. He said the 'L' word…. It really is getting serious isn't it, _Sirius_," taunted Wormtail bitingly.

"No! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed… as well you should to James since we _do_ have a game against Slytherin in the morning…."

"I'll be up in a while, Padfoot…. I really would like to start with our plans here."

"Fine! Then I guess I'll have to sit this one out then!" Sirius got up from the table and started to head toward the stairs to boys' dorm rooms.

"Padfoot, it's not like we are going to finish it tonight…. We still haven't finished making our choices…."

"Do whatever you want, Prongs…"

"We can't do this without you, Padfoot…. It was your idea, after all."

Sirius nodded and waved his hand like he didn't care about what James had to say, as he continued toward the stairs to the boy's dorm rooms. Harry watched as Sirius walked the length of the Common Room without looking back. As he took his first steps up the stairs a single tear fell down his cheek, and though he made a move to wipe it away he thought better of it and left it there as somberly walked up the stairs….

All of the other Marauders sat there watching him go. James realized that Sirius was indeed getting deep feelings toward the girl that had been in his life for just a couple of months, which was longer than he had ever been with a girl before. He usually tired of the girl that he was with after only a week or two, and only James knew why…

James suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't thought about what this teasing could do to his best friend, because he usually took it in stride, but not that time. James vowed to talk to him before he went to sleep, knowing that Sirius would not go to sleep for a while after that. He turned back to the book but had lost all interest. "You know maybe he's right…. I do have to get up in the morning for the game," James said flatly, pushing the book away. 

He got up and the others followed him. James turned toward Lupin, "Wish you were joining us, mate. You'd be better as the Keeper than that lay about we have now…"

"You know perfectly well why I haven't tried to join the team, James," said Lupin very gravely.

"Yes, I know…. But you are the bloody best there is, mate. You've proven that every time that we just play for fun. Sirius has never been able to get the Quaffle past you…." Their voices faded away as they walked up the stairs to their dorm.

After several minutes floating there, staring after the Marauder's, Harry thought _Okay… now what?_ Harry wondered once again how he was going to get back to his body and hoped that he was not going to have to wait for time to catch up to him. He started floating back and forth as if pacing, when he noticed something was lying on the table. He floated over to the table and realized that it was the book that James had taken out of the library.

Harry knew that this was the book that the Marauders used to make the map. He studied the cover of it closely. "Pensieves to Paper: How to Preserve Memories for the Advanced Wizard," was the title, written in silver lettering on a deep blue worn cover. Suddenly he heard footsteps echoing around him, and he realized someone was coming back down the stairs from the boys' dorm. 

Forgetting he was in spirit form he hid behind the chair closest to him. He watched as Wormtail sat down at the table right near where Harry had just been. He moved closer to see what Wormtail was up to. 

Harry watched as Wormtail pulled some ink and parchment from inside his pajama shirt. Curious as to what Wormtail would need to sneak down and write about so late, Harry floated closer to Wormtail to see what he was writing. Harry gasped at what he saw him writing on the paper….

****

Severus, there is something new that Sirius has planned…. I dare not say too much right now as I really don't have too many specifics on what they are doing, but I thought that you should know that what ever it is, will make it more difficult for you to catch the Marauders at anything.

Peter

Wormtail then folded up the note and put it into his pajama top. Then he looked around as if expecting someone to come down any moment and catch him, then he pulled another piece of parchment out. Suddenly his mind was open and what Harry heard projecting from Wormtail's mind horrified him.

__

I will write an anonymous note to that pompous windbag's girlfriend, beautiful Sen…. Because although I happen to know that he was lying about how he feels about her tonight… I know what kind of person he is and he will end up hurting her. Besides she has a right to know what he says about her behind her back. I'll write this to her and when she brings it to him, he will undoubtedly deny it, which will reassure her…. But then I will **conveniently** bring it up in front of her…. With his reputation and his pride, he will deny his feelings for her, and I'll be there to comfort her and pick up the broken pieces. Then she will fall in love with me…and I will finally be better at something then perfect Sirius Black, not to mention that I will finally have my revenge on him for making fun of me all of those times. And finally then James and Remus will see that I'm better than him and they will like me better. Now if I could just find the right words….

Harry felt as if he had just swallowed something very foul. His stomach gave a funny kind of lurching sensation, as he watched Wormtail sit there trying to formulate the exact wording for his note to Sen. Harry turned away not really wanting to hear any more of Wormtail's sickening thoughts. As he started to turn he realized that the stream of thoughts that he had been hearing from Wormtail ceased. 

He turned back and realized that Wormtail had stopped because he suddenly observed that the book that James had gotten out of the Library was still sitting there. He pulled it toward him and put it next to himself, so that he could bring it up to James after he was done, not wanting James to get into trouble about it. He went back to his thoughts about what to write, but his thoughts were far more erratic now that the book was lying next to him. His mind kept drifting to the curiosity of what Sirius had had in mind. 

James had marked a page, Wormtail noticed, and pushing the parchment and ink aside, he opened the book in front of him. Harry came over and glanced at what was on the page. It was talking about how to make a map…. Harry read over Wormtail's shoulder as he skimmed through the pages. 

When Wormtail got to the end of the section, there was obviously something that caught his eye. Harry followed what he was reading on the last page….

__

Caution: There is a danger with making a map of this type. When someone accesses it, the person leaves an imprint of themselves in it, because it will update itself automatically every time it is activated. All memories and knowledge of any person that has used the map can be accessed by any other user. This knowledge can be accessed by asking a question that is outside of the realm of information of the memory placed into the map by the creator, using only the creator's quill. The person holding the creator's quill will then be pulled back into the past to witness whatever the map knows about that subject. When it has shown everything that it knows, the person will find themselves back in their own present time, but with the time that they were in the past, missing from their own time. 

One final note: the map should never be replicated without changing something about it first, for every map that is replicated from the first without change will contain the same knowledge as the original or any of the other replicas whether it has been accessed directly or not.

Suddenly there was a sound of footsteps on the stairs coming down to the common room from the boys' dorm, again. Wormtail rushed to put the ink and parchment back into his pajama top. He was about to close the book, but thought better of it. He ripped out the page and stuffed it to down his shirt before closing the book and sitting in a chair by the fire.

Moments later, James appeared and stepped off the last step. He walked to the table. Wormtail caught his breath and closed his eyes, trying to completely relax himself. James grabbed the book and started heading toward the stairs, but noticed Wormtail sitting in the chair by the fire, pretending to be asleep. He walked over to Wormtail and shook him slightly. Wormtail opened his eyes and looked around questioningly. "Where am I?"

"I think you were sleep walking again, Wormtail, cause you're in the common room…."

"Oh." He got up and followed James back to the dorm room stairs and disappeared.

Suddenly Harry felt himself being pulled forward. The wild ride that felt strangely like using floo powder, made his stomach nauseous. He closed his eyes and tried to calm the flip flopping sensation in his belly….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry felt himself stop and he opened his eyes. He was lying on his bed with the map on the bedside table next to him. He sat up and looked around. He realized that it must be fairly late in the evening. He looked over to Ron's bed and saw Hermione and Ron lying there in each other's arms. And though he didn't want to disturb them, he figured that they hadn't left his side. He got up and went over to touch Ron on his shoulder.

Ron sat up with a wide eyed confused look on his face until he realized that Harry was standing right in front of him, then a wide grin broke across his face. "Harry! You're awake!"

This woke up Hermione who threw herself at Harry giving him a huge hug. "Harry, you have to stop doing this to us. You scared us half to death."

"Sorry."

They sat for several minutes while Harry explained what had happened and what he saw. Ron sat flabbergasted and Hermione looked thoughtful when he finished telling them everything. "Harry, there's just one thing that I don't understand…. When did you get your map back? I mean last that I knew Crouch, disguised as Mad-Eye Moody had it…," said Hermione.

"I…." Harry thought back to the end of the last year. He looked at the floor as memories that he wished not to think about flooded his mind, bringing tears to his eyes about what happened for the first time in a while. He blinked back the tears and swallowed hard against the growing lump in his throat as he continued to think about when he got his map back. After several moments he looked up at his friends and said, "Actually I'm not sure I remember exactly when. But I think I vaguely remember something about Mad-Eye Moody having gone through his things and finding what he thought was an interesting parchment with a map of the school on it. He gave it to Dumbledore who gave it back to me around when I met up with Cedric's parents. I'm not totally sure though, because that time is still very scattered and foggy to me."

"Oh." Hermione still looked thoughtful. She was suddenly up and heading toward the door.

"Hermione, where are you going?"

"To finish some research in the library…"

"But aren't you hungry?" asked Ron.

"Yes, but dinner is over now isn't it…"

"Why don't we go down to the kitchen and get something to eat and then go to the library together," said Harry. Both Hermione and Ron looked surprised and questioningly at Harry, but after a few moments, they all agreed.

Moments later they were heading out of the Common Room and down to the kitchen, where the House elves treated them to a delicious snack and sent them on their way, before Hermione could speak to any of them. Dobby had run into Harry and hugged him tightly, before bounding off to finish what he had been doing.

They ate quickly as they headed to the Library. Madam Pince looked a bit bothered that they were coming into the library so late, but since Hermione was a prefect and since she came to the library all the time, Madam Pince allowed them to stay. "But you had better put every book back that you take out…," she said over her shoulder as she strode out of the room. They agreed to her terms and were left to their own devices.

Harry went looking around near by the Restricted Section and sneaked into it when he saw that Hermione and Ron were busy with their own things. He wandered around and finally found what he was looking for, the book that he had seen in the memory. He pulled it out and flipped through it. He noticed that it was in fact the copy of the book that his father had taken out when he was 16, as his name was still listed on the card in the front of the book. He stood there reading the section on the maps and realized that there was in fact a page missing.

Harry suddenly felt like a cube of ice had slid down into his stomach as he thought about what would happen if Wormtail had taken one of the maps with him. It was obvious that Wormtail had always had something against Sirius and he was pretty sure that when his plans to win over his father and Lupin failed that he would have been bitter and resentful. It was possible that he could have taken a copy with him.

Harry felt the need to go back to his room and look at the map again to see if all 23 other copies showed up on the map. He closed the book and started putting it back when he realized that there was a newer looking copy of the same book next where he was putting in the old one. He pulled it out and looked through it, realizing it was a newer version. He flipped to the same section and discovered that there was a way found to block the map's ability to read who had accessed it. 

Harry ripped out the page vowing to bring it back and fix it later. He folded the page and pocketed it. Then returned to the main part of the library.

Hermione and Ron watched as Harry had slunk away into the darkness of the library. Ron turned to Hermione, "Now what was so important that you couldn't wait until morning to finish researching?"

"I remember reading something somewhere that is similar to what Harry is going through with Professor Clovis in relation to the school… but I can't remember where I read it…"

"Please tell me this is not going to become another thing like Nicholas Flamel was in our first year…"

Hermione looked indignant. "Well, I need to find it for Harry's sake, even if I have to look for it for the rest of the year, by myself. I think it's important."

"I agree Hermione, but…. Oh, never mind… just pass me a book." Hermione smiled and passed him _Hogwarts, A History_. He rolled his eyes thinking he had just been duped into reading the book that Hermione had always gotten onto his case about not reading. Ron was surprised to find that he actually found the book to be quite interesting.

After some time they heard Harry coming and they quickly closed their books and put them away. Hermione asked if Harry had found what he was looking for and he nodded simply. They left the library and went back to their rooms and went to bed. 

Once he heard Ron snoring Harry got up and grabbed the map. He pulled out the page that he had ripped out from the book and walked down to the common room. He performed the binding spell on the map explained on that page, so that it could only read the surroundings and not who accessed it. He asked it to reveal the locations of the other maps. 

The same shining golden spots that had appeared before came up again. Harry counted them and his heart sank when he realized… there were only 21 maps shown, which meant not just one was missing, but two… Harry sat back and sighed heavily.

Knowing there was nothing he could do right then to find out who had the maps, Harry deactivated and took the binding off of the map. He rolled it up with the page that he had ripped out of the book and walked back up to the dorm with a bad feeling in his belly. Harry tossed and turned for some time before he finally drifted of to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Harry ran into Professor Clovis' classroom, thinking he was late but the room was completely empty, except for the professor who was sitting at her desk reading something. She looked up at him and smiled broadly.

"Harry what can I do for you?"

"Don't we have class right now? Aren't I late?"

"No actually your watch must be fast, because we don't have class for some time yet."

"Oh." Harry looked down at his watch and found that strangely enough he couldn't read what it said. "Sorry to bother you then…"

"Harry, why don't you stay and we can talk again, like we did in Hogsmeade…"

Harry wanted to, but feared what would happen if they were alone. He stood there trying to make his feet move toward the door, but found that instead he stepped toward her desk. As he approached she summoned a chair for him to sit in. He sat down feeling quite giddy at the prospect of sitting so close to her. They chatted for a short time about nothing of consequence and then it happened. Their hands touched and there was an instant feeling of electricity that ran through both of them. 

Harry wanted to kiss her, but knowing it was wrong, he dropped his eyes to the floor not wanting Professor Clovis to see how he felt about her. "Professor…"

"Please, Harry, call me Lina…"

"Okay…. Erm Prof – erm, I mean–" All thoughts that he had were jumbled and confused. He wanted so badly to tell her how he felt, but he could not even formulate what he would say to her even if he though it would be okay to. Then she put her hand over his, which instantly made him look up into her eyes. Their eyes locked and before they knew it they were kissing….

Harry felt like he was flying, as their kiss ended. He opened his eyes and realized that it was because he was. He looked down and realized that he was on the back of an eagle owl flying through an inky black fall night sky. There was a cold wind blowing in Harry's face giving him a biting chill. He shivered and realized suddenly that he was not alone as he first had thought. He could feel someone's arms wrapped around him. He turned his head to see that Professor Clovis was holding onto him for dear life.

"Harry, where are we and where are we going?" she asked with a bit of apprehension evident in her voice.

"I'm not sure yet, Lina…." Harry shivered, but he wasn't sure if it was because he suspected where they were going, because of the night air, or because he was enjoying the feel of her arms around him, knowing that she was with him.

In the distance he could see the moonlight reflecting off of a lightly colored house. He knew he had been there before and felt his heart quicken as the owl flew lower and lower, finally soaring in through a broken window in the upper story of the house. They flew down a darkened passageway before entering a room at the very end that was lit only by the fire in the hearth.

Suddenly he and Lina were standing side by side in the corner of the room, watching the bird fly to its perch with its meal dangling from its beak, a simple gray rat. Looking around the room Harry noticed a very large snake curled up on the rug in front of the hearth like an obedient pet dog waiting for its master's love and affection. There were spidery shadows playing across the walls. And a small man with watery eyes and a pointy nose standing in front of a chair that was turned toward the hearth.

"My Lord, we have spent the last week and a half thoroughly checking the basement room where you were keeping Potter's spirit and there were no weaknesses found. All that is known is that he is most definitely back at Hogwarts and functioning as if nothing happened…." 

There was a sound of something shifting in the chair, and a hand with long spider-like fingers appeared. They were pointing to the eagle owl that Harry and Lina had come in on. "As you can see, Wormtail, Morgan has returned with her dinner. And it would seem that she has caught one of your 'cousins'…. So if you disappoint me again by allowing Potter to slip through my fingers, yet again, I will fix you in your rat form and feed you to her!"

Wormtail fell to his knees and kissed the hem of the robes that were visible to Harry and Lina. "Master, thank you for your mercifulness and caring. I flourish beneath your ever benevolent keeping."

"Oh, stop your groveling, Wormtail. Stand and give me the rest of your report!" 

"Yes, My Lord…. We have sent for our loyal spy inside Hogwarts, he should respond to your request by the end of the weekend."

"When did you say that he would be able to get away?"

"By the middle of November, Master."

"And you're sure that he will be able to do the appointed tasks that I have set out for him before he leaves that Muggle-loving-fool's school?"

"Yes, My Lord."

"Good. Crucio."

Suddenly Harry's scar felt as if it were about to burst. He fell to his knees, clutching his scar. He wanted to scream out, but gritted his teeth as it felt like his body was set on fire. Lina pulled him up and held him. Voldemort suddenly seemed to be aware of their presence. He got up out of his chair and walked to where Harry and Lina stood, Harry gasping for breath as the dull pain in his head increased exponentially as Voldemort approached. He raised his wand and pointed it at Harry. Harry reached inside his robes for his wand, but realized that it was in fact not on him. Harry had no defense. 

Voldemort laughed and screeched, "Avada Kedavra!" Harry saw the green light of the spell approach him. He closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable to happen…. 


	13. Psychic Attack

__

Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…

Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

Tim – Thank you so much for defending my honor! :-D And I'm so glad that you liked it!!

Peak of Triumph – WELCOME! Thank you so much for your compliments and comments! I'm very glad you are enjoying it! :-D

Manateegirl524 – Thank you!!! This little cliffy is just a sample of what I did when I posted this over on the HP.com boards…. be Happy you're not reading my year six right now…. You would be getting a cliffy a day! lol! I am very happy you are enjoying this!! Thank you for you compliments and comments!!! :-D

Butler – LOL!!!! Thank you for your wonderful comments and compliments!!! You made me laugh!! I am very glad that you like my little cliffy…. I just had to live up to my namesake! lol! :-D

Pblegacy – WELCOME! Thank you for your comments and compliments! As for my cliffies…. that is how I earned my name over on the HP.com boards!! tee hee!!! :-D

Chibi-Bex – WELCOME! WOW! Thank you for your wonderful comments and compliments!! They meant a lot to me! those questions will all be answered soon! I promise! Anyhow…. the one clue I will leave you with is that Lina is very young…. Her true age will be revealed pretty soon! In fact much of the answers you seek will come soon! And thank you for your suggestion! I think I will do that! :-D

**__**

CHAPTER THIRTEEN – PSYCHIC ATTACK

Harry sat bolt up right in his bed, his scar burning and gasping for breath. Through the dark, he grabbed the pin off of his nightstand and pinned it to his pajamas, which lessened the pain in his scar considerably. He realized that he was drenched with sweat. He put on his glasses and got up, grabbing another set of pajamas and slipping on a jumper. He headed toward the boy's bathroom for a shower, but thought better of it. 

He had so much to think about. He honestly wasn't sure how to get his mind around that dream/vision. He shuddered when he thought about the intensity of what he had seen. He ran back to his trunk and grabbed his invisibility cloak. Then went down to the common room where Hermione was, unbelievably, sitting at the table studying. 

She took one look at him and realized something was wrong. She noticed that he was drenched head to toe, even his hair seemed plastered to his head. "Harry are you okay?"

"No, I just had a… dream that was ominous…. I was wondering if it would be all right if I could use the prefect's bathroom because I really need to think things through without interruption right now. I know that you offered that to me once…."

"Sure, Harry…. How long do you need? Because I should take you down there and bring you back, so you don't get into trouble…." Harry took in a sharp breath to speak. Hermione held her hand up. "Look, I know that you have your invisibility cloak with you…. How about this…. Take your cloak. You give me a rough idea how long that you will need and I'll come and get you if you haven't come back in that time…."

"What time is it Hermione?"

"4am. Why?"

"Well, don't you need some sleep?"

"Harry, I just got up myself and came down here just before you arrived…. I can't sleep right now. I have a lot of things to do and I can't get my mind to relax enough to make it go back to sleep."

"Sounds like you're the one that needs the bath…. I'll just go and take a shower…." Harry turned to leave.

"No wait, Harry. You need it and I promised that you could… so, let's go." Hermione got up and pinned her prefect badge to her dressing gown. She walked to the portrait hole behind Harry.

"Are you sure about this, Hermione?"

"Absolutely. Now how long do you need?"

"When does the bathroom get busy?" 

"Honestly, while most of the Prefects love having our own bathroom…. It is somewhat inconvenient to go all the way down there whenever we want to use it, so it doesn't usually get busy at all and I have it on good authority that no one will be using this later on this morning."

"How?"

"Because we all have a prefect's meeting at 9:30am and on the days of the meetings, no one uses it… Not to mention it's a Sunday and even we Prefects like to sleep in on Sunday…."

"Okay then…. If you would come and get me in a couple of hours then, if I haven't come back."

"Alright, I'll be there by 6am then if you haven't returned here by then. Now you should probably slip under the cloak, in case Filch comes round."

"Thanks for doing this, Hermione…." He smiled sadly at her. 

She smiled back at him and waited for him to put the cloak over himself. She pushed open the portrait and walked down toward the prefect's bathroom. 

After a few minutes, Filch came around the corner with Mrs. Norris. He was talking animatedly to the cat, who, surprisingly, looked up at him almost as if she were intently listening to what he had to say. She suddenly seemed to see that there was someone else there and stared in the direction that Harry and Hermione were. Filch looked up and saw Hermione there.

"What are you doing down here, Miss Granger? It's 4am and even Prefects shouldn't be wandering the halls at this time of night." 

"I'm heading to the Prefect's bathroom for a bath."

"At four in the morning?"

"Well, I'm having a hard time sleeping. I have too much going through my mind and thought that a bath might help me to calm me…." It was the truth after all.

"Alright, but you had better get there quickly, and don't take any detours…."

Hermione nodded.

During the whole conversation, Mrs. Norris was looking back and forth between Hermione and where Harry stood beneath the cloak, furthering his belief that she was able to see through the cloak somehow. Her lamp like eyes almost looked angry, but she never let on to Filch that Harry was there beneath the cloak.

He and Hermione took off in a jog toward the bathroom. When they got there, Hermione breathlessly said the password, "L-lemon s-s-scented." They both went into the bathroom and Hermione sat for a moment to catch her breath, while Harry turned on a few of the gold taps, each of them putting out different bubbles, foam, or perfumed colored steam. 

As the taps filled the tub, he pulled down one of the huge fluffy white towels, and put it next to the swimming pool sized bathtub, took off and folded up his invisibility cloak and put it next to the towel. And then removed his pin and placed it on the towel. 

As soon as his hand was removed from the pin the dull burn in his scar returned with full force. He gasped quietly, bringing his hand to his head to massage the scar. When finally the pain calmed a bit, he tried to take off his ring, not wanting to lose it in the vast tub. But it wouldn't budge, so he figured that it wouldn't come off in the water and just left it on.

Then as he was about to shut off the taps that had filled the huge tub in a very short time, considering the size that it was, Hermione said, "Alright, Harry. I'll leave you to it. If you are not back by six, I'll be back to get you."

"Thanks, Hermione."

She smiled and cautiously opened the door. She slipped out quietly. Harry went to the door and bolted it. Then he returned to the side of the tub and finished shutting off the taps. He quickly peeled off the jumper and the pajamas that were still sticking to him. He slipped into the water and did a few laps. He came to rest at the edge of the tub, placing his arms out on the wall and putting his chin down on his hands. The strong purple perfumed steam that had come out of one of the taps hung in the air, making his head spin.

Harry looked at the picture of the long blond haired mermaid, asleep on her rock, that had helped him figure out the clue to the second task in the tournament. He watched as her hair rhythmically fluttered every time she snored. 

Slowly thoughts about his feelings for Professor Clovis crept into his mind. Everything in his head told him that it was wrong, that she was older than he was, and it would never work…. But every fiber of his being told him that it was right and even essential to his very survival that he should follow his heart. 

With his confusion at his feelings for Lina at a peak, he felt his emotions spiral out of control. He began crying hard. He put his face down on his hands and didn't even notice the sound of him crying bouncing off the walls or even the visitor that he had lurking in the corner….

Moaning Myrtle watched the only wizard, living or dead, that had ever been kind to her as he swam around the tub. She knew that she cared for him deeply and that if she could have been alive, right then, that she would be totally head over heels for him. But knowing that a ghost and a living person could never have that kind of relationship she had always kept her feelings in check, though she had never hidden them from him. 

She watched Harry closely as he stopped swimming and rested at the side of the tub. His face slowly grew very sad and utter confusion passed over his features, just before tears started streaming down his face and he buried his face in his arms. His very essence seemed to be pouring out of his eyes as the sound of his heart breaking echoed around her.

Her heart went out to him…. How many times had she done that? She could see that there was something tearing him apart, but had no clue as to what. She floated out over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Harry felt something very cold touch his shoulder and he jumped and looked up, wiping the tears from his face. "'Lo Myrtle. It's good to see you again," he said sadly, trying to hide that he had been crying.

"Harry, what happened? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine," he said a little more forcefully than he meant to.

Myrtle jumped back, surprised and hurt by his harsh tone. She started wailing, herself, and left quickly through the wall.

"Wait, Myrtle. Come back! I'm sorry." Harry felt awful, knowing that she had just been trying to be nice to him. He felt worse than before. 

Suddenly the dull burn in his scar increased and the pain was unbearable… He reached out for his pin. He clutched it tightly in his hand and the pain all but disappeared.

The warmth of the water and the perfume that kept bombarding his nose made him dizzy. His eyes began to droop and he felt as if he were falling through the bottom of the tub. 

For the first time since the first day back to classes, he found himself in the room he had come to twice before. All of the people who had been there before reappeared. Slowly more appeared there than before, most that Harry didn't expect to see but, on some level, had suspected would be there at some point. 

Standing on the back the chair, which Dumbledore was sitting in, were still Fawkes and Hedwig. And in the headmaster's lap was Crookshanks, but also Mrs. Norris. He was stroking both cats with a knowing smile on his face. Harry looked at them questionably. He felt that there was something about them, something important. The strangest part was that Harry did not see Filch around anywhere, nor did he expect that the harsh caretaker would ever be a part of this group.

Lupin, Sirius, Professor Fletcher, Snape, Hermione, and Ron were still sitting at the table. But some new people stepped out of the shadows to join the table as well. The rest of the Weasley family moved out one by one and sat down by Ron. Cho came out and stood by the head of the table, clearly not sure where she should sit. Nicholas sat next to Lupin and they embraced. Lina Clovis stepped out and sat at the head of the table by his right hand.

Finally, Neville timidly wandered out and sat down on Harry's left. Cho took the only remaining seat next to Sirius. And though she seemed timid to do so at first, she smiled broadly at him, which he returned in kind. 

The spirits of Neville's parents came out and stood behind their son, which confused Harry since they were not dead. And because Harry was seeing Neville's parents it made him wonder why, again, he wasn't seeing his own. 

But just as before, suddenly the sword was again in front of him with the hilt toward him. He still felt that he needed to take it, which seemed more urgent and pressing. Harry's hand came closer to touching it this time, but fought the urge, though the fight to take it was weakening. He started reaching out when he felt his breath being sucked away from him and was pushed back up.

As he came to a stop, he realized he couldn't breath. With fear in his heart he realized that it was because he had slipped under the water. He started trying to swim to the surface, but his limbs felt like they were made of lead. He felt like his lungs would burst. He couldn't stop himself anymore, he needed to take a breath, but his limbs were barely moving to propel him to the surface. He felt the water beginning to enter his lungs, as he went to take a breath in….

Just at that moment his head broke through the surface of the water. He got enough air in his lungs that he coughed and spluttered. He grabbed a hold of the side of the tub and held on for dear life as he coughed and gasped for several minutes. He realized that he was crying again. 

After a while Harry pulled himself together. He knew that there was nothing that he could do about his feelings for Lina, except bury them and deal with them every time that they emerged, in that moment. He took some deep breaths, and suddenly he realized he was once again not alone. He looked up and saw Myrtle floating right in front of him. She smiled weakly. "Harry, I'm sorry about intruding before…."

"It's alright, Myrtle… I'm sorry about hurting your feelings. I know you were only trying to be nice. I just really needed to have this time alone to work through some things…."

Myrtle smiled. "I understand, Harry. I'll leave you to it then." She floated out of the room.

__

That was unusual. She was so… nice, thought Harry. He shook his head and returned to his thoughts. 

Having worked through what he was going to do about his feelings for his Professor, he moved onto the rest of his troubling dream. He wondered how it was possible for Voldemort to know that he and Lina were there. He had never seemed to notice Harry there before.

He closed his eyes to bring the images and what was said back to his mind. Harry was pleasantly surprised that Wormtail and the other deatheaters could not figure out how he had escaped. But he didn't put it past them to eventually figure it out and guard against that happening again.

But the part that truly bothered him was about the spy. He wasn't sure who it could be. He hoped that it was Snape and that Snape had them fooled, but he couldn't be positive. For all he knew it could be Malfoy or one of the other Slytherins, who had parents in Voldemort's service. Harry probed deeper into his dream to see if maybe somehow he had been able to pick up on some of Voldemort or Wormtail's thoughts. But the deeper he delved into what happened, the more uncertainty he felt. Harry gave up, knowing that he would know soon enough, since November was not too far away. 

He started trying to relax for a few minutes and enjoy the last of his time in the tub. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander and worry about nothing for the first time in weeks. He felt as if he were falling into a light sleep. But his senses were heightened to everything around him. The only sound that he heard echoing in his mind was the snoring of the mermaid in the painting. 

After a few minutes more he decided that he should get out of the tub and maybe try to go back to bed, he felt that the bath had done the trick and made him sleepy. He got out and toweled off before putting his clean set of pajamas on. 

He started the tub draining. He watched the water swirl as it went down the drain. Suddenly feeling very weak, he sat down against the wall and put his head back against the cold marble. He closed his eyes.

All of a sudden, Harry was in the room that he had been in with Voldemort again. He knew that it was not right that he was there and he knew that he was dreaming. So he pinched himself to try and wake himself up, but it didn't work. Feeling slightly trapped he spun around the room trying to figure out how to escape, not wanting to be caught there again, just in case Voldemort had figured out how to see him when he was having a vision. 

Something caught his eye in the dark corner that he and Lina had been standing in before, as he swung around. He couldn't quite make it out so he approached cautiously, squinting his eyes as he went. He stopped and blinked, his heart pounding in his chest. He swallowed hard and hoped that what he thought was there was not. He stepped a few paces closer, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness in the corner. And what he saw horrified him….

Lina's spirit was trapped partway in the wall in front of him, as if she had been trying to get away and was suddenly frozen into the wall. Her eyes were closed and Harry couldn't tell if too much time had passed for her to be able to return to her body.

"Lina?"

She opened her eyes and looked horrified to see him. "Harry, you have to get out of here now! Voldemort will return any second! I don't want you to get trapped here too!" She said breathlessly.

"Trapped?"

"Yes, trapped…."

Suddenly Harry's scar exploded with pain as Voldemort entered the room. "That's right, Potter." Harry turned and, through the pain, looked into the snake like face of his nemesis, red eyes flashing with excitement at the prospect of capturing Harry again. "You see, when you come here in your so-called 'visions', what you're really doing is called astral travelling. Your spirit is here and you leave your body behind, in other words…."

Through gritted teeth, Harry spat, "I do know what astral travelling is… You should know that…."

"Hold your tongue, you insolent boy!"

Harry instantly shut his mouth, but looked bravely into Voldemort's eyes.

"Now, as I was saying, when you astral travel you are vulnerable to binding. And that is what you see right in front of you with your… Professor…." He turned toward Lina and shaking his head he continued, "Pathetic, really, to think that she is the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. She is so young and obviously so inexperienced that she didn't have a clue about what could happen when you astral travel. I'm not sure what that Muggle-loving-fool ever saw in you to believe that you were qualified to teach at Hogwarts."

A look of fire flashed in Lina's eyes as she struggled to move. "Come here and say that, you pathetic excuse for a wizard." Although Harry hated to see Lina struggling, the fact that she told Voldemort that, proved there was still some life left in her, that it wasn't too late to save her.

"Crucio," said Voldemort blandly, with a yawn, as if bored by her comments.

She screamed out in pain, as Harry dropped to the floor clutching his scar, feeling like his head was about to be ripped open from it. A cold cruel laughter greeted his ears as Voldemort held the curse on Lina for about a minute. When he finally stopped Harry sat up slowly, feeling the burn continue in his head and every other part of his spirit ache.

Voldemort sat down in his chair that was now facing the both of them and continued to laugh. He leaned forward to come down to the level of Harry's eyes. Harry looked up and despite the pain that seared its way through his head, he defiantly looked deep into the red snake like eyes and held the gaze. "You know what the best part about this is, don't you?" asked Voldemort gleefully.

Harry just glared at him in response.

"Neither of you will ever escape, because the only way that the binding can be broken is if the wizard who puts the binding on takes it off. And since _I_ have no intention of releasing it, you are doomed to spend eternity here where I can enjoy tormenting you." His cruel laughter filled the room.

Voldemort aimed his wand at Harry's chest. "Crucio!"

Harry's scar exploded and he fell to the floor in agony again. It was a feeling that he had only felt once before in his life, but he had forgotten just how horrible it could be. His very essence felt as if they were on fire and about to be torn apart. Even in spirit form he felt his body arch as he writhed around in pain, his ears ringing with only one thing, Voldemort's laughter. He wanted it to end, but Voldemort enjoyed his torment so much that he kept the curse on him. 

Finally, Voldemort stopped. His face split in a wide grin as he watched Harry's spirit lay limply on the floor from the pain. Voldemort got up and started for the door, seeming to have had his fill of the torment for the time being. At the door he paused and looked back at Harry's unmoving form. "When I return, Potter, you will be bound to this room as Miss Clovis is now…." 

Voldemort lifted his hand and suddenly Lina let out a gasp. The wall that she was in, closed further around her. Which made her feel as though she were being crushed where her spirit was inside the wall. Satisfied that he had caused them both some pain, he left the room.

As soon as he left, Lina shielded her thoughts and projected them directly toward Harry. _Harry, please, I know that you are in pain but you must listen to me…._

Harry lifted his head slightly, hearing her thoughts. He looked at her through a fog, but listened intently.

__

Harry, you must get up now and go, before he comes back…. 

****

I can't, Lina. I don't know how and I can't leave you.

Yes, you can and you must, Harry. You are my only hope, but you have to go now!

****

I don't understand…

Oh… but, you do understand though. Remember what Professor Figg taught you in your last class with her, last week. Do you remember the lesson she taught on Psychic Attacks?

Harry nodded, but was about to protest. Lina shook her head to stop him.

__

Don't protest, please, Harry. We don't have time for it! He's coming back now…. I can feel it! So, please, go now and look up that topic in your book…. You will find the answers that you need there. Go. Quickly!

Harry scrambled to his feet and closed his eyes. He thought of being back in his own body and wished for it to be so. But just at that moment the door opened and Voldemort stepped in, eyes blazing with fury. "You shall not escape me, Potter!" He lifted his wand and began to chant the incantation to bind him there. "Constringo constixi constrictio! Moenia Redimio!" A deep green light emitted from Voldemort's wand. Harry watched as the light approached him as if in slow motion. 

Harry turned and ran. He felt a tug at his middle and flew toward the wall. He closed his eyes not wanting to see what was going to happen next. He felt himself pass into the wall and slam to a stop, but surprisingly instead of feeling like he was trapped, he felt instead like he was being shaken. Harry opened his eyes and blinked confusedly, trying to clear his vision. And what he saw surprised him….

"Hermione?" he said feeling a bit disoriented.

"Harry… I've been trying to wake you for the past ten minutes…. Are you all right?"

Harry nodded. "What time is it?"

"Well, I gave you a little more time to come back. But when you weren't back by quarter past I came looking for you. It's actually 6:30 now."

"How did you get in here? I bolted the lock."

"Good old Alohamora. The door is made to allow entrance in case of emergencies."

"Oh." Suddenly Harry remembered that he needed to get back to the dorm to look up what Lina had asked him to. He scrambled to his feet and grabbed his things. He threw his cloak over his head and said, "Hermione, come on! I've just remembered something I've got to do."

Reading his thoughts she was able to surmise what had happened. She ran over to him and threw open the door. They walked very quickly back to the Common Room. When they got there Harry pulled off the invisibility cloak and started for the dorm stairway.

"Harry, wait. I've got the book you need right here." She tapped the book. "Profero Evolutio." She opened the book to the section on Psychic Attacks and began reading the pertinent parts aloud, as Harry looked over her shoulder:

**__**

What is a Psychic Attack?

A psychic attack is very dark magic. There are many different ways that it can be performed on someone…. The most commonly applied form of psychic attack however is when someone is in his or her astral form. Most spells cannot be performed on someone in this state, except when they are cast with malicious intent with the help of the dark side of magic…. The worst of this type of attack is the binding spell, which is usually used by the good to bind the powers of a dark wizard or witch effectively rendering their abilities useless. But used in the dark way the binding spell can cause an astral being to be bound to the location or person of the dark wizard or witch's choosing….

"This is all fascinating, Hermione, and good to know, but…."

"Way ahead of you, Harry…." She flipped to a different part of the book. "This part of the book talks about certain spells and how to do the counter-spells. Do you recall at all what the spell was that Voldemort used?"

"Very clearly. He was trying to use it on me just before I managed to escape. It was definitely a binding spell…."

She flipped to the section on binding spells. She slowly flipped through the pages until Harry yelled, "That's it Hermione! '**_Constringo constixi constrictio_** is a spell that binds and astral body to something designated by the dark witch or wizard, usually a location when the **Redimio** spell is added. This type of binding spell is particularly difficult to break, and is most well known as the binding spell that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named used most widely and frequently. Up until 10 years ago it was believed that it was unbreakable at all, that only the wizard or witch that placed it on the unsuspecting victim could take it off. Even in the event of the death of the dark witch or wizard, it could not be broken. But one of the foremost charm breakers in the world found the way. Below are listed the steps to take to release this binding curse:" Harry read through the steps silently. "Hermione, you have to help me! Please! It's been a long time that Lin – I mean – Professor Clovis has been out of her body…. There's not much time before her body gives up altogether!"

"Okay, but you had better get dressed, so we don't look suspicious."

"Agreed. You collect the ingredients for the potion and I'll start the caldron in the dungeon. Meet me in Snape's classroom in ten minutes."

Harry ran up the stairs and got dressed quickly. He was trying to be as quiet as possible, but in his haste Harry dropped something with a loud clatter. Harry looked around and everyone still seemed to be asleep. 

Ron lifted his head off of his pillow and seeing Harry getting dressed quickly, asked quietly, "Harry, what's going on?"

Harry startled looked up and projected his thoughts toward Ron filling him in, in a matter of seconds. Ron jumped out of his bed and started dressing too. Within two minutes they were down in the common room and Hermione joined them with a box of potions ingredients in her hand. They silently left as swiftly as possible. 

They made it to the potion's room in record time. They threw open the door and were surprised to see…..

"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" He was standing with his wand drawn and pointed toward them. Crabbe and Goyle flanked him. They all pulled their wands in response.

"I could ask you the same thing…. And it's really none of your business why I'm here." He stepped in front of the caldron that he was brewing something in and pushed all of his ingredients behind him still holding his wand on them. "We've got the room reserved to do what we need to. So you had better clear off before I tell Snape that you were here to steal some of his potion ingredients, again." 

"That is _not_ why we're here, Malfoy!" yelled Ron indignantly.

"Well, you could be for all I know, since you have a reputation for doing so, Potter…."

Harry felt his blood beginning to boil. "Malfoy, I have not ever stolen ingredients from Snape in my life. And I do not appreciate the insinuation that I have…"

"Well, you can't expect me to believe that Miss prim and proper, know-it-all Mudblood over there did it!" Crabbe and Goyle guffawed, stupidly.

Ron stepped forward, "You take that back, Malfoy!"

Hermione grabbed her boyfriend's arm to calm him. "I guess you don't remember our little conversation on the train, Malfoy. Because now that we're at school, I can and will take away points and give detentions to impertinent people such as yourself."

"I'd like to see you try it, Muddy." He lifted his wand. "Furnunculus!" Ron pushed her out of the way and, tried to erect a shield. But was too late and was hit by the curse instead. He fell to the floor and writhed in pain, as boils sprang up all over his body where the curse had hit him.

Hermione set her jaw and looked up at Malfoy with tears in her eyes. "50 points from Slytherin and a week of detention, to be determined by Professor McGonagall… This is also an official warning, for attacking another student without provocation, and for attempting to attack a Prefect. This will be written up and put into your permanent school record. Two more bouts like that and you will be reviewed for expulsion. Do I make myself clear?"

"Very," hissed Malfoy in a voice dripping with malice and disgust, putting his wand away clearly realizing his fun with them was over. He turned back to his cauldron, as Hermione bent over her boyfriend. 

Harry leaned down to help Hermione to get Ron on his feet. Together they dragged Ron to the door of the room. 

"Leaving so soon, Potter. Afraid that you couldn't go and steal ingredients after all, because we're here." Crabbe and Goyle smiled and chuckled.

Harry turned back and met Malfoy's eyes with daggers. "No, Malfoy, not that it is any of your business, but I'm putting off what I need to do for a short while so that I can take my friend to the Hospital wing. Because unlike you I actually care about what happens to the people who are around me."

A thought floated through the open part of Malfoy's mind, as Harry turned around to help get Ron to the hospital wing that infuriated Harry. Hermione could sense the anger that had been building up in Harry over the past few hours beginning to take its toll on him. She felt that he was about to lose control over his magic, particularly after hearing Malfoy's thought about Harry being weak because he cared.

She projected calming thoughts toward Harry but they weren't working. Harry knew that he could not hold out much longer, when Ron looked up at Harry and through his pain he smiled at Harry as best as he could. "Harry, thanks for helping me. You are a true friend and friendship gives you strength, not weakness. Don't listen to Malfoy. He's just an evil Slytherin git that has never had a real friend in his life…."

Harry felt his anger leave him. Ron was right. What did Malfoy really know about friendship? 

They got to the Hospital Wing and found Madam Pomfrey bustling around one of the beds. She heard them come in and looked up. "Oh, Merlin's beard, please tell me that there's not another one. Put him here." She indicated the bed next to the one that she was working around.

"Another one?" They brought him over to the bed and she looked suspiciously at them when she saw the boils all over Ron. "We'll explain later."

"Professor Clovis was brought in this morning by Professor Snape, who discovered her when she did not meet him for a planned breakfast…."

Harry felt like his heart had just been ripped from his chest. "Snape? Did he help to trap her?" asked Harry before thinking, feeling his anger build up again. 

"That's Professor Snape to you, Potter. And what do you mean? What do you know about this?"

"Erm…."

"I think you had better tell me what you know, while I take care of Mr. Weasley here."

Harry launched into the explanation of what had happened, leaving out the first part of his dream, not wanting to draw attention to his feelings about his Professor. When he finished, Madam Pomfrey looked thoughtful, Harry tried to hear what Madam Pomfrey was thinking, but her thoughts were so erratic that they made no sense to him. Then she began to speak her thoughts out loud, which made reading them even more difficult. 

"Hmmm… This all sounds vaguely familiar…. Oh, yes. There is only one other time that I have ever treated something similar to this… and that was…. It wasn't to this magnitude though and I was able to help there…." She looked at Harry. "But… then there was also the story I heard about between Leona and Godric Gryf – oh." Her eyes that had never left Harry's face widened. 

Harry wished he could make some sense out of what Madam Pomfrey was thinking, but it was all jumbled. 

"But, no, because that would mean… and this would be… oh…." She stared at Harry in awe. "But there is no cure for this, at least not to my knowledge."

"We think we found a cure, Madam Pomfrey. Professor Clovis gave me the clue in my last vision."

"Oh?"

"There is a potion that needs to be made and given to her by someone that loves her three hours after the potion is complete, for greatest potency. After the potion has been given then the releasing charm must be used to free her from what she is bound to."

"Sounds far fetched. Does this need to be done to her spirit or can it be done to her body?" Harry looked at Hermione, and she opened her book. After a few moments of reading Harry and Hermione shared a look.

"Unfortunately it must be applied to her spirit, which means…."

"Which means that someone is going to have to get into the Riddle mansion to give it to her…," Harry said defeated. Just then from out of the shadows, stepped… 

Snape. 

"I will do this. Give me the ingredients and instructions to make the potion. I will take it to her."

Dumbledore having stepped into the Wing moments before, had heard most of what was said. "Severus, are you certain? If you ever got caught…."

"I'm well aware of the risks, Headmaster. But if I don't do this, then we will lose our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. And I know what an awful loss that would be."

Harry didn't trust Snape. He knew that Snape really had wanted the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from the very beginning of his first year. This would be the perfect opportunity for him to get rid of the competition.

"But you don't know where she is and it needs to be given to her by someone that loves her…"

"So who would you suggest, Potter. You? You may know where she, but you most certainly don't love her. Besides you can only get there in astral form, you said so yourself. And you could never take it to her. And I have my ways…."

Harry resigned himself to the fact that he was not going to win this argument. He gave everything to Snape that he needed to know and walked over to Ron's bed on the side that was next to Professor Clovis.

"Harry can you stay here with Ron for a moment? I need to speak to Professor Dumbledore about the incident this morning."

Harry nodded. He sat in the chair between the beds and looked at both of them, trying very hard to hide his true feelings about Lina from those around him. But he found himself staring at her. She looked so beautiful lying there as if in a deep sleep.

Dumbledore listened as Hermione explained the incident to him. But the fact that Harry was staring at Lina Clovis was not lost on him. He realized that despite how hard Harry was trying to block his feelings from everyone else, the feelings were far too strong to be blocked completely. Dumbledore nodded his head. He had known that this was coming, but he had hoped that Harry would have at least another year of peace before everything began. 

Harry's confusion at everything was evident and Dumbledore knew that if he didn't act swiftly, Harry's life would begin to spiral out of Harry's control completely. The heartache and pain had only begun for the boy. He just hoped he wouldn't be too late….

When Hermione had finished giving her report of what happened, Dumbledore said, "Thank you, Miss Granger. I will inform Professors McGonagall and Snape promptly of what has occurred. Now, I would imagine that you would like to get back to Mr. Weasley's side. You may consider yourself excused from the Prefect's meeting this morning. And if you would be so kind as to send Mr. Potter over to me, there are some things I have been meaning to discuss with him."

Hermione nodded and when she got to Ron's bedside she told Harry. Harry got up and slowly walked over to the Headmaster. "Harry, I feel that it is time for us to have a little chat. I believe it would be best if we go to my office, and leave prying ears behind."

Harry nodded and they left. Harry followed behind the Headmaster, numbly. When they were finally in his office and sitting facing each other, Harry looked up and asked, "What did you need to talk to me about, Professor?"

Dumbledore looked deep into Harry's eyes and knew what confusion and pain resided there. "Harry, there is much that we need to discuss. But I think it would be best if we left the most important discussions to another time. However, I do feel that it is important to converse about your dreams and visions from last night."

Harry again launched into what he had seen the night before, again leaving out the most complicated part. Dumbledore looked at Harry with the usual twinkle in his eyes, as Harry finished his explanation.

"I see…. And how exactly did Professor Clovis become involved with your vision?"

Harry turned bright red and didn't know what to say. He didn't want to give away his feelings for her, but there was no other way for him to explain how she was there with him. "Well, sir, I was erm… having a dream… erm… with her… erm… in it." He felt his cheeks burn with his embarrassment and he lowered his eyes to the floor.

"Quite understandable, Harry." 

Harry looked up into the Headmaster's eyes trying to see if he were serious. Dumbledore's eyes merely twinkled with amusement.

"Harry, if I am not mistaken, you are not the first student to develop a crush on his Professor. I happen to recall a certain Professor that grabbed the attention of most of the female population here three years ago." 

He looked at Harry over the top of his half moon spectacles in amusement. 

"Many of whom wished the very same thing of him then, that you and most of the rest of the male population does of Professor Clovis now."

Harry smiled weakly, trying to put away his feelings, realizing that the Headmaster was probably right, that his feelings were nothing more than a mere crush. He had far more important things to focus on, like his O.W.L.s and Quidditch. His studies and his duties as co-captain of the team needed to come first.

Dumbledore, satisfied that he had gotten Harry's mind off of what was bothering him, said, "Now, Harry if you will excuse me…. I have some things to do before my meeting with the Prefects."

Harry nodded and left. Though he did feel better, thinking that all he had was a crush on Professor Clovis, there was a piece of him that was still so uncertain, but for the time being he pushed it out of his mind. Famished, he went to the Great Hall for breakfast, eating alone and lost within his own thoughts. 

Once he was pleasantly full, he went to check on Ron. He sat back down in the chair that he had vacated when Dumbledore had asked to see him. With the lack of real sleep from the night before finally catching up with him and the fact that Ron and Hermione were resting too, he fell fast asleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before long he was back in the same room at the Riddle Manor. He hid so that he could see what was going to happen….

Before long Snape was there. He had apperated into the room into the dark corner opposite from where Harry was watching. Snape looked about the room and believing himself to be alone, he move quickly to the wall where Lina was trapped. He kissed her lightly on the cheek, which made Harry stomach feel like it needed to turn inside out.

She stirred and looked at her savior in shock. "Severus, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to get you out."

"Oh." Was that disappointment that Harry heard in her voice? Harry shook his head trying to clear the thoughts of, what he felt was, an illogical jealousy of his potions Professor. It was just a crush after all….

Snape gave her the potion and said, "Relashio." She slowly came out of the wall. "Go get out of here, Love." 

She floated over to the corner where Harry was hiding, seeing the hurt in his eyes she projected apologetic words toward him before she left through the open window.

Snape was about to apperate out, feeling that he had succeeded in his mission, when the door swung open and Voldemort stepped in. He looked at Snape in surprise and then at the corner where Lina was supposed to be. Looking back at Snape he took out his wand. "Crucio!"

Harry watched through the pain in his scar, as the man that he despised writhed in pain on the floor in front of his eyes. After several minutes Voldemort finally released him. "Explain yourself!"

Snape got up and crawled to the feet of his supposed Master. He kissed the hems of Voldemort's robes, then backed away, and stood up, keeping his eyes on the floor. "My Lord, please forgive me. I know that you thought it would be best to keep Clovis here to lure Potter back to you, but I fear that you misunderstand her role here."

"Role? What role?"

"When she started the year she could sense what you could about the boy, so I put her in the imperious curse to believe that she was falling in love with the boy, to seduce him, so that I could capture him with her and bring him to you. But now I fear that she has been compromised, and the plan may not work."

Harry felt as if his heart had just been ripped out of his chest, thrown on the floor, and that the killing curse had been performed by a hundred deatheaters on it. If that were true then he had no chance of ever hoping for anything with the one person that he felt was possibly the only one that he would ever wish to be with. He shut his eyes tightly against the burning tears that were threatening to fall.

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner, Severus?"

"Because, My Lord, if you had known anything, the boy would surely have picked it up from your thoughts. He is, after all, starting to develop those skills that we have feared he would all along."

"Yes. Very true…. Very well, continue, but in the future. You must let me know what your plans are. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Crucio."

Snape was on his knees quivering in pain for the few moments that Voldemort held the curse on him. 

"Now return to your post, faithful servant, before you are missed…."

Snape nodded and got to his feet. He apperated out of the room, leaving Voldemort alone. Voldemort went to his chair and sat down thoughtfully in front of the fire.

Harry still hidden in the corner, was trying to blink away the tears that were stubbornly stinging his eyes. When Harry saw that Voldemort was distracted, he quickly dived out the window, unnoticed. Not far outside he saw that Lina was wandering about, obviously uncertain where to go. Harry grabbed her hand and before they could blink their eyes they were back in the Hospital Wing, holding hands.

Harry quickly whipped his hand out of hers and turned toward his friends. Ron was sitting up and amused by what he had just seen.

Embarrassed Harry got up and muttered something like, "Glad to see that you're feeling better, mate." before running out of the Hospital Wing back to the dorm room, where he buried his nose in his homework.


	14. The Unforgivable Potions

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Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. 

Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

Butler – Thank you for your wonderful comment!!! Thank you for continuing to read my ficcy! oh… and I sent a response to your e-mail! Thanks for your question! :-D

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**__**

CHAPTER FOURTEEN – THE UNFORGIVABLE POTIONS

Harry was thankful that this had all happened at the beginning of October, for though he had very little time to think about what had happened to him as it was, the more distractions the better. 

He spent much of his very little spare time with Angelina and the book that Hermione had given him for his birthday, devising the best plan of defense and offence against the Slytherins. They knew that they had just under one month to get the team into shape and ready to fight the team that was their fiercest rival. Harry was sure that under Malfoy as Captain the Slytherins would play dirtier and more violent than ever before.

They started out practices with a bang, training every night that they could between the advanced classes and every Saturday. Everything appeared to be going well and the team seemed to thrive under the leadership of their new captains.

Harry had even found some semblance of peace. He had settled into his new busy schedule and was enjoying the fact that most nights he was just too tired to let his mind wander to things that he would just rather not dwell on.

Even the classes that he had with Professor Clovis weren't that bad. Between him burying his feelings for her so deeply within himself, not wanting to feel the hurt that he knew was there beneath the surface, and how busy that she kept them in class, learning defense methods, he rarely even had time to meet her eyes. 

She, too, seemed to be avoiding his eyes as well. She also seemed to be seen around the castle more with Professor Snape, which, in Harry's mind, seemed to confirm that Snape had indeed used her in the way that he had said to Voldemort.

Harry had begun to feel better with so much to preoccupy his time and before long he found himself thoroughly enjoying himself, especially at Quidditch practice where he was able to soar freely above the field. He felt that everything was finally starting to fall into place for him, until…

Harry was sitting in Transfiguration one day about a week before Halloween, waiting anxiously for the bell to ring, after practicing how to transfigure annoying insects into a repellent for those the same sorts of insects. The smell in the room was quite atrocious, as Dean had accidentally made a flammable repellent that had drifted two rows down to where Seamus was sitting with a fire as a repellent. Dean's repellent ignited and singed a few people, as well as left behind the awful stench that now hung about the room in a cloud. 

Professor McGonagall stood up and asked for their attention. "Right. Because of the success of the Yule Ball last year… There will be an All Hallow's Eve Ball this year on Samhain or Halloween night. The same rules apply this time, that were in place the last time. In other words, it is open to fourth years and above only unless you wish to invite a younger student."

Some of the girls let out shrill giggles and began putting their heads together, discussing who they thought would make the cutest boy to go with. Some were nudging each other and pointing around the room, who they wished to have ask them. Ron and Hermione just smiled and laced their fingers together, silently having asked each other to the dance and excepting. Professor McGonagall simply looked about the room to silence them once again. 

"This will be a costume ball or a masque, if you will. So if you would please wear your dress robes and choose a costume with a mask that demonstrates a level of maturity that the Headmaster seems to believe that you are capable of." She looked around the room noticing that excited whispering about the room among the girls sitting together. "Now, the ball will begin in the Great Hall at seven o'clock sharp on Halloween, as the usual feast will be integrated into the ball. Since it will end at midnight and it is also a school night, your first class the next morning will be cancelled. Now then –" 

She looked around the room at all of them with a stern look upon her face.

"Once again, this ball will be a chance for all of us to let our hair down," she said with a visible shudder. 

Some of the girls took up their giggling again. Harry smirked at the idea of seeing Professor McGonagall with her hair down, as she was extremely strict in every sense and always had the tightly bound bun in her hair to prove it.

"But also, I must stress that this does _not_ mean that the standards of behavior will change one bit. So please conduct yourselves with a bit of dignity. I will not be pleased if any Gryffindor is found doing something… inappropriate, shall we say?"

The bell rang and everyone got up to leave, excited murmuring moving throughout the group. As they were heading out the door McGonagall called out, "Potter, Weasley, Granger, and Longbottom – a word, if you please…"

They all looked at each other confusedly, but turned around and walked back up to her desk.

"There's no need to appear guilty. You have done nothing wrong…. I called you up here to let you know that the All Hallow's Eve Ball will be on a Wednesday night, so your Professor will decide whether you are to make up the class another night or if it will be canceled altogether. But you and the other four, old enough, will be free to come to the ball either way." She smiled gravely at the lot of them. "That's all. Now off you go, you don't want to be late for Herbology…."

This brought the open wound about Lina back to the surface of Harry's mind again, momentarily. But then he thought about the other aspect of what this ball meant. He would have to ask someone to go with him again. It had been hard enough the last time when he had been required to go, but now he actually wanted to go and see if he could steal a dance with Lina, without anyone knowing, including her. 

He mentally shook himself. He couldn't even dance! And he most definitely had no prospects to go with. He doubted after what happened the last time that Parvarti would go with him again. He most certainly wouldn't show up alone. He really had no good reason to go to the ball, except….

A smile spread over Harry's face, very slowly. He had fallen behind Ron, Hermione, and Neville. He ran to catch up to them. Putting his arms around Ron and Hermione's shoulders, he said, "How would you like to have a little extra fun at the Masque and get a little sweet revenge on a certain white-blond haired Slytherin at the same time?"

"I'm in!" yelled Ron.

"Ooo, could I be part of the fun?"

"Are you sure, Neville? You've never wanted to stand up to him before."

"Well, it's about time that I did, isn't it? I mean, he's never been anything but wretched to me. And turn about is fair play…."

"Dually noted and you are most welcome to join…. The more the better."

"Well, you can count me out."

"Why, Hermione? You said yourself you really wished there were a way to get back at that… what were your exact words now? Ah yes… 'that slimy, arrogant, immature, evil-loving, sorry excuse for a human, no good prat'. And this would be the perfect opportunity."

"But what if we get caught? I'm a Prefect! I could get into real trouble."

"Hermione, you've told me yourself that my father and mother were both not only prefects, but also Head Boy and Girl. You know what kind of things my father did while he was here…. Besides! We are all going to be dressed up in costumes, remember? It's a masque! So who's gonna know?" Harry looked hopeful.

"Oh, all right, but don't tell me everything…. I want to be able to claim plausible deniability, just in case you get caught."

"Deal."

"So, Harry, what exactly did you have in mind?" asked Neville.

"I haven't figured it all out quite yet… but I wanted to find out if you would be up for this first before I went and made plans completely…." He smiled at them, just as they reached the greenhouses.

"Well, whatever you do… don't get too distracted today…. I don't want another incident like a few weeks ago!" 

"I won't, Hermione. I promise."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was two days before the ball. And despite the fact that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were spending a great deal of whatever time they had devoted to finding just the right prank to pull on Malfoy, they were no closer to finding one that they could all agree upon. Not to mention, Harry and Neville had yet to find dates for the ball. 

They were talking animatedly about what kinds of things they could do to Malfoy, as they entered the room for their Advance Class. They sat down together, still chatting, not even realizing that they were in fact the last ones to arrive.

Professor Fletcher cleared his throat loudly.

The four of them stopped talking and noticed that Professor Fletcher was ready to begin class.

"Well, now that we are all here and ready to start class…. We are about to start studying about potions that mimic curses, even the Unforgivables. These potions are relatively new, as most of them have been discovered only within the last fifteen years. They are much more powerful than the Curses themselves, though they work at a bit of a slower pace, and they have cures. Unfortunately though, these potions are virtually undetectable once given to a person, because they instantly breakdown in the body. So, while they do have cures, by the time it is figured out, it is usually too late…. Now-"

Ginny's hand shot into the air. "Professor, what do you mean by 'too late'?"

"I mean, when a potion that mimics a curse is given, if the cure is given before the effects of what the curse would do, manifests, then the effects of the curse would be muted."

"Can you give us an example?"

"Certainly. Let take the potion that mimics the Cruciatus Curse. If it can be caught in time, and the curative draught can be given, then the person will not feel the pain nor effectively lose their minds from it…."

"Wicked!" exclaimed Ron.

"Precisely, Mr. Weasley. But that is not the best part…. There is also an interesting side effect to these potions and cures, if they are administered at precisely the right times, then there is a temporary immunity to the curse as well as a permanent immunity to the potion."

Everyone around the room glanced at each other with excitement. 

"One other thing about the Cruciatus Potion though. Fascinatingly enough, this is one of the only potions that you can give the cure for after the worst has happened to restore the person to normal. In other words, after one loses one's mind, as long as death has not occurred then one can be given the draught, and it will reverse all the effects of the potion, because it is one of the only potions that never leaves the blood…" 

Hermione raised her hand. "Professor, what should happen if you don't administer a cure in time?"

"The lesser curses will fade away after months or possibly years of suffering. And as I said with the Cruciatus potion, if the cure could still be administered as long as death has not occurred, then it will work. But as for the other Unforgivables…." He shook his head. "I have no idea because most don't survive long enough to find out."

"What about the Imperius Potion?" asked Harry.

"To be perfectly honest with you, the Imperius potion is the hardest to detect…. I would think that if the person stays alive under the influence of this potion, then eventually the effects would wear off. But the cure for the Imperius potion must be administered within the first couple of hours or it will not work properly, because the potion will have been absorbed into the body too completely by then."

"But then why don't the other Unforgivables wear off?" asked Neville timidly.

"The only reason why they don't, is because they have irrevocable damage or death as a consequence. But as I said, if they can detect the fact that it was the potion for the Cruciatus, then they can administer the cure at any time…."

"Do the common Medi-Wizards and Medi-Witches know about this?" interrupted Neville boldly, his voice shaking with anger.

"This has not become common knowledge, no…."

"How do you detect if it is the potion or not?"

"Well, there is a certain charm that will make the components of the potion reveal itself…."

"What is the charm?" asked Neville, now on his feet. Everyone in the room was shocked to see Neville being so bold with his questions. It was only the second time that year he had spoken up and demanded to have answers to his questions.

"Mr. Longbottom! Sit down, please. Now if you wish to discuss this further with me, then please see me after class and we will set up an appointment to discuss this more privately."

Neville sat. 

"Thank you."

"Sir, can I ask a question?" asked Nicholas.

"You just did, but you may ask another one if you wish, Mr. Rockley." Professor Fletcher's eyes twinkled with a mischievous laughter that did not reach any other part of his face.

"What about the Killing Curse?"

"What about it?"

"Well, if most everyone that has taken the potion has died before the cure was able to be administered, then how do they know that the cure works at all?"

"Very good, Mr. Rockley, for noticing that… However, you are just going to have to take me at my word on this one…. It was successfully tested many years ago. In fact the Killing Curse Potion was one of the first to be developed and tested. It was also the one that helped show us that the cure could protect us from the curse as well as the potion… Now I must move on with the lesson or we will not have time to finish it before the night is over." Professor Fletcher's eyes shifted back to Harry. 

Was it his imagination or did Professor Fletcher's eyes just flick up to his scar briefly?

"Now, it was interesting that you brought up the Imperius potion, Mr. Potter, because that is the one that we are going to start with. Open your books to page 437 – 438. Both the potion and the cure are listed on those pages. We will be brewing both and testing them on each other…."

With an hour and a half left to go, they quickly brewed the seemingly simple potions, while professor Fletcher moved between the four tables making sure that everything was done properly. He walked by Neville who was nervously trying to brew the cure with the help of Fred while Ginny was brewing the potion at their table. Neville dropped in a heaping spoonful of powdered Iguana liver. Fred said, "Neville, did you just put in a heaping spoonful of that?"

"Yes…."

"That was supposed to be a level spoonful."

Neville caught sight of Professor Fletcher. "Mr. Longbottom…." Neville squeezed his eyes shut, sure that he was about to get told off for making a big mistake. "Potions need precise measurement of their ingredients. However, this particular ingredient is a catalyst, so if a little extra in the cure is alright, as it will just help the cure to work faster."

Neville opened his eyes slowly and, in shock and with his mouth hanging open, watched as Professor Fletcher walked away. He couldn't believe that for once he had not made a huge mistake.

Across the room, Harry and Cho had just finished with their set. Cho had brewed the cure and Harry the potion. They sat waiting for the others to finish, uncomfortably. They were both contained in their own thoughts, neither allowing anyone else in the room to hear their thoughts, most others too busy with making their potions to care. Suddenly they both decided to speak.

"Harry…."

"Cho…."

They both began to laugh quietly. "What did you want to say, Cho?"

"No, that's alright you go first…"

"I insist that you go. Ladies first."

At the very moment that Cho began to speak, Professor Fletcher conjured a bunch of small goblets and a flask of pumpkin juice. Seeing that everyone was near completion of their task, he said, "The potions and cures must be put into a goblet of juice, as the acid in the juice activates them. And you only need three drops of either for them to work. They are both very concentrated and potent.

"Now, as you put the potion drops into the goblet you must say, 'By the power of three, only listen to me.' Or else the Imperius potion won't work just for you, but also for everyone around the person. When putting in the cure simply say, 'Deletum'."

"Professor, if that is the incantation of the potion, then does that mean that they will not hear anything around them other than the voice of the one who gave them the potion?"

"Very good question, Miss Granger. Only at first. You could tell the person that took the potion to listen and respond to things around them like they normally would and they will, but with one slight difference…. They will listen to your commands. Or, if you choose to designate a group of people that you wish for the person to answer to, then that person will respond to all of them."

Most everyone, except for Hermione, looked slightly confused. 

"Here let me demonstrate. Mr. Rockley, would you mind?"

Nicholas stood to come to the front of the room.

"No, that's alright, you can stay right there. You see once the potion is taken, it doesn't matter how far you are away from the person…. They will only hear your voice. I will demonstrate this first. If you would please put three drops of the potion into the pumpkin juice, Mr. Weasley."

A glass of pumpkin juice levitated over to George. He plucked the goblet out of the air and poured in three drops of the potion. Professor Fletcher said the incantation. George handed the potion to Nicholas who lifted it to his lips. 

"One moment, if you please, Mr. Rockley…. If you would all please start talking loudly amongst yourselves, and please continue until I signal you to stop…."

Instantly everyone around the room started chatting loudly, some were not really talking but simply making sounds and funny noises. Professor Fletcher nodded at Nicholas, who drank down the juice and potion swiftly.

Harry and Cho were talking nonsense. But there was a burning question that Cho was dying to ask Harry so she suddenly blurted it out, almost sounding like it was nonsense, "Harrywilyagoballwime?" 

Harry stopped and looked at her stupidly. "Did you just…?"

Cho started speaking very quickly and nervously and without taking a breath. Harry almost couldn't follow her. "Look, Harry, I know that you don't have a date yet. I heard you say that to Hermione and Ron. And I would understand if you said no, but since you asked me last year I just thought you might want to go with me to this ball…."

"Cho…." Harry tried to break in, but Cho continued as if she hadn't heard him

"…Because I've really gotten to know you over the past two months and I think that I like you. I understand that you are interested in someone else and I'd be okay if this never went anywhere with you but I thought I had to try…."

"Cho…." Harry tried again.

"…But I'll understand too if you really don't want to go with me. In fact, never mind. Forget I even asked, cause it should be the boy who asks the girl and I guess…."

Harry put his finger to her lips to stop her from speaking any more. "Cho, I would be honored to go with you. I'm sorry that I didn't ask you first, but after last year, I guess I was afraid that you had already been asked and excepted to go with someone else…. Thank you for asking me. I accept." He gave her a broad smile and for the first time in weeks he found himself thinking of someone other than Lina Clovis.

Cho smiled back, with a smile that _almost_ made his heart beat a bit faster. Just at that moment Professor Fletcher signaled for their silence. They all watched amused as Nicholas strutted around the room, flapping his arms and clucking like a chicken.

Everyone started laughing, and after a few moments more Professor Fletcher said, "You can stop now, Mr. Rockley. Now I would like you to act like you normally would if you were not influenced by the potion, but you will respond to my voice when I tell you to do something directly." Nicholas blushed deeply realizing he was standing in the middle of the classroom. He quickly returned to his seat.

"As you can see, I did not need silence or closeness to get Mr. Rockley to act like a chicken. Now, to demonstrate how to designate more than one person to command the person under the control of the potion." He turned back to face Nicholas, who was, if anything, redder than his partner's red hair. "Mr. Rockley, you will listen to whatever I _or_ your partner, Mr. George Weasley, says." Nicholas looked at George, who was still looking at Professor Fletcher. Professor Fletcher nodded and George faced Nicholas. 

He appeared to be trying to figure out what would be the best thing to get Nicholas to do. Finally, a slow smirk spread across his face. "Nicholas, you will choose a girl from in this room and do a dance with her."

Nicholas got up, took Ginny's hand, and pulled her up. She was surprised to say the least, but what was even more surprising was that he could dance, really well. He smoothly waltzed with Ginny about the room, until Professor Fletcher stopped it. "Sit down at your tables, if you would, please, Mr. Rockley and Miss Weasley." Instantly Nicholas complied followed by Ginny. "As you can see if one of the people that has control over the individual designates another person, then that person can exert control over the individual as well." 

Professor Fletcher signaled for George to give Nicholas the cure, by sending over another goblet of pumpkin juice. "As you drink the cure, Mr. Rockley. You will remember everything about what just happened while under the influence of the potion and tell us how it felt." Nicholas nodded. Professor Fletcher then went on to send a goblet to each of the other tables stating that he wanted them all to choose one of them to try the potion to test it.

Harry kept watching George and Nicholas, while the rest of them got busy. Harry watched as George started putting the cure into the goblet of juice. But with a subtle glance up at Professor Fletcher to make sure he was preoccupied, George leaned in and quickly whispered something that Harry only caught a brief glimpse of, but not enough to know what was going on, from George's mind. Harry wondered what George was up to. 

Nicholas quickly took out his quill and began writing something. When he was finished, he rolled up the small piece of parchment and handed it to George. This entire exchange took a matter of about a minute and no one else seemed to have noticed it. 

George passed Nicholas the cure. Noticing this Professor Fletcher said quietly, "Deletum."

"Earth to Harry…." Harry looked over at the pretty girl sitting next to him.

"Sorry, what?"

"I asked you who should go first."

"Oh, I'll go first…"

"Okay." Cho picked up the goblet and dropped the potion into the goblet.

"Now, before you all take your potions to test them, I would like for Mr. Rockley to enlighten as about what he remembers from before."

Everyone looked over to Nicholas, who was blushing furiously. "Everything," stated Nicholas weakly. 

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"Oh, right. Well, it was an incredibly eerie sensation to hear the noises all around me disappear into silence. I only heard Professor Fletcher's voice, but is sounded like it was from a very far off place and yet right next to me… I was feeling like I was in a very comfortable blissful state. I heard him make requests of me through a sort of a fog and I found myself watching through my own eyes as I was doing things that I had no control over…. It was quite unsettling actually…. I felt like I had no control over my own body."

"Well, that's because you didn't," replied Professor Fletcher. "Now, the rest of you need to test your potions…"

Those that had volunteered to go first drank down their potions and their partners started telling them odd things to do. Every one of them were acting out their partner's every command. George was spinning around in circles laughing like a giddy schoolgirl. Ginny was hiding under her desk, fear evident in her eyes. Hermione was sitting in Ron's lap acting like nothing was more important than sitting right there. Her books interestingly enough, were haphazardly strewn all over the floor. Harry on the other hand was having an internal struggle….

Harry could hear only Cho's voice in the comfortable little space in his mind. She was telling him to hop up and down on one foot. He was so comfortable and free from all of the pain and suffering that he had been going through of late. He was so happy that Cho had taken that away from him that he wanted to comply with her request. But on the other hand he really didn't _want_ to hop up and down on one foot. He felt his body hop a little with his indecision. But the feeling that he didn't want to hop was greater than he the feeling that he wanted to comply. 

Suddenly he felt a much stronger urge to hop up and down when a new voice arrived and another and another and another. His mind was no longer at peace it felt like it was being pulled in about 8 different directions, all of which expected him to do the same thing, hop up and down on one foot. He felt as if he were being slowly torn apart and he let out a yell in his mind and it echoed. Suddenly he felt a release from all 8 points and he fell to the floor. Moments later, through the peace that he once again was in, he felt something cold being poured down his sore, scratchy throat. And the fog and veil of peace were lifted from his mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cho was asking Harry to hop up and down on one foot. There was a strained look upon his face and sweat beads formed on his forehead. It was as if he was trying with all of his might to not be controlled by the potion. He was doing a sort of half hop every few seconds. She repeated her request and he still wasn't hopping anymore than before.

Cho looked questioningly at Professor Fletcher, who, curious about it himself, came out from behind his desk and came over next to Harry. He nodded at Cho who then told Harry that he would have to listen to Professor Fletcher too.

Harry turned a blank stare at Professor Fletcher. "Hop up and down on one foot, Mr. Potter." He nodded at Cho who repeated her request as well. Still Harry did not hop very much at all.

The rest of the room had now somewhat caught on that there was something interesting going on with Harry. Those who had been given the potions were given the cures and all of them came to watch what was going on with Harry.

Professor Fletcher gave several of the other students the chance to add their request to have Harry hop up and down on one foot. After most of the class had been given the ability to make him do that one request, Harry let out a strangled shout and found himself hopping a bit more then before, but still he resisted. Sweat poured down his face.

"Okay that's enough. All of the other commands are null, listen only to this. Sit down."

Harry fell to the floor, breathing heavily, but unmoving. "Miss Chang, prepare the cure please." It was obvious that Harry was not going to move from the spot, so Cho tilted his head back and poured the cure into his mouth. He gulped it down greedily. After a few seconds he realized he was on the floor and got into his chair.

Professor Fletcher smiled weakly at Harry. "Mr. Potter, you are the one who made the potion, are you not?"

Feeling very weak and sore, Harry just nodded.

"Are you sure that you followed the directions to make the potion?"

"Yes, sir. I followed them completely," he said in a raspy voice. 

"Hmmm. Okay then we will need to test the potion on you, Miss Chang, to see if it is, in fact, made correctly. No offense, Mr. Potter, but what just happened with you was quite unusual."

Harry nodded and prepared the potion for Cho. Once she took it, it was obvious that the potion was indeed working properly. Quickly Harry gave her the cure and they all sat waiting for Professor Fletcher to wrap up class. After several minutes of tense silence, where the professor was obviously trying to figure out what had happened with Harry, he said, "Well, I'm not exactly sure why that happened with you, Mr. Potter. I've never seen anyone be able to resist the Imperius Potion like that…."

"If it helps, sir, I was able to throw off the curse last year as well when it was put onto me, by… Professor Moody." Not knowing how much of what happened last year Professor Fletcher knew, he didn't want to say any more than that.

"Ah, well that would shed some light on things, but the potion is far stronger than the Curse itself. I would have to say that you are possibly the strongest young wizard I've ever met! And I think that that should be all for tonight."

"Professor, what about Wednesday's class?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. That is cancelled for this week. Enjoy the Ball." Everyone smiled, cleaned up quickly, and clambered to get out of the room. Harry seemed to take longer cleaning than the others and lagged behind for a few moments, which no one seemed to take notice of.

When Harry caught up with them, he noticed they were all talking exuberantly about what had happened in class. When George and Fred noticed Harry there they both slapped him on the back, "Smashing good way to impress the Professor there, Harry…."

"Wicked, indeed," said George. "You must teach us how you do that trick."

Harry smiled weakly, embarrassed at the way that he always seemed to draw attention to himself. He muttered, "Thanks, but I'm not sure how I do it exactly…." 

The twins just smiled. "Suuuure you don't, Harry…," quipped Fred, before the twins went on to their usual bout of rowdiness walking back to the common room. 

Neville moved back to beside Harry. "Harry…. I had an idea for our prank on Malfoy."

"Really? What was it, Neville?" Harry noticed out of the corner of his eye the twins had quieted a bit and seemed to be listening pretty intently to the conversation that had begun between Neville and him.

"How about we make a batch of the Imperius Curse Potion and use it against Malfoy?"

Harry 's face split with a wide grin, and forgetting that George and Fred were listening in, said, "Interesting you should mention that, Neville. I was thinking about something similar…."

It was Neville's turn to smile.

"But…"

Neville's smile weakened a bit.

"I think it would be impractical and dangerous if we did that. Cause if we leave the evidence around, it could be possible to get caught…." Now most of the group was listening intently to the conversation that was taking place between Neville and Harry.

Neville's face dropped completely. "I never thought of that…."

"That's okay, Neville. I still think that we will be able to carry this out anyway…."

"How?"

"With some of the potion from class…."

"But, couldn't we also get caught if we went back in there and took some now?"

"Yes, we could, but we don't have to go right now…."

"When then, Harry? Because Professor Fletcher isn't going to leave everything lying around, so that we can go whenever we want to," said Neville exasperatedly.

"I know. You're right."

Neville threw his hands up in the air, obviously completely confused.

The group of them had stopped now because they were in front of the entrance to the Ravenclaw dorms, but no one wanted to move. They all wanted to hear how Harry planned to get some of the potion that they needed to give to Malfoy for their little prank against him.

Hearing many of their questioning thoughts, he now realized they all were anxiously listening to what he was going to say. "I think that this should be discussed back at the common room. I get the feeling that we might have company here," he said quietly, noticing Peeves the Poltergeist bobbing up and down, down the corridor a ways. 

"What about me, Harry? I want to know about this too…"

Harry projected some images into her mind and it was all she could do to laughing hysterically out loud. "Please, Harry, I need to hear your plans. I would like to be part of this."

He looked at the others and mentally asked them a question, to which they all agreed.

He took her hand and they all walked off toward the astronomy tower. Once out on the rooftop, they huddled in a small group to fight against the cold wind that was blowing around them.

"Okay, now spill it, Harry. How are we going to go back and get the potion?" asked Fred.

"We actually don't need to go back and get the potion at all…."

They all just stared at him, until Hermione broke the silence, "You can't be thinking of using the Summoning spell to get it…. Can you?"

"Nope."

"Then how are we doing this?!" asked Neville.

"Well, I guess that none of you noticed that it took me a bit longer to put all of my potion's kit ingredients back and pack away everything to leave…."

Cho said, "Well, I did…. But I thought I was because you were still weak from what happened when you were under the power of the potion."

"And that was partially true, but…. I, too, had thought of what Neville did, part way through class. And when I saw how well it worked, I looked for my opportunity and took some."

"How?" asked Ron now truly impressed with his best friend for completely thinking through his plan and executing it.

"One of the vials in my potions kit has been clean and empty since I've gotten my kit. I've been meaning to take it out, as it just takes up space, but I really wasn't sure where I could keep it, and it isn't really in the way…. So I have the potion right here," Harry said patting the spot in his bag where he had his potions kit.

"What about the cure?" asked Hermione.

"What about it?" 

"Did you get some of that too?"

Harry just smirked.

"You're not planning on leaving them under the power of the potion are you?" asked Hermione appalled.

"Why not? Even Professor Fletcher himself said that he didn't know how long the potion lasts…. Consider this to be… research…." Harry smiled wickedly, and all of the rest of them, seeing how thoroughly Harry had thought this through, smiled as well.

Even a smile spread slowly over Hermione's face. "I can live with that…."

For twenty minutes they sat there with their heads together thinking of exactly what they were going to do. Then finally, with the cold having cut through their thin robes, they descended the stairs with smiles on their faces and joy at the mischief that they were about to cause in their hearts.

They returned to the Ravenclaw Dorm entrance to drop off Cho. Cho turned to Harry and smiled. "Well, I guess this is good night…."

"Just one question before you go…." 

Cho smiled and nodded. 

"Why was it so important that you help us with this prank?"

"Do you really have to ask me that?" 

Harry looked puzzled, thinking she just didn't want to tell him the reason. 

"Think about all the Quidditch games that both you and I have played against Slytherin and who the Slytherin Seeker is…. He has hurt me more times than I care to remember in the two years that I've played against him…"

"Oh."

"As the Muggles say… Payback is a witch and so am I." She smiled wickedly and Harry laughed.

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she turned and ran to the entrance and waited for the rest of them to walk off toward the Gryffindor Tower, before speaking her password and going inside. Harry stood stunned for a few moments, before he realized that everyone had walked off and left him again. 

When Harry rejoined the group, Fred and George smirked at him and teased him mercilessly all the way back to the common room about having a girlfriend. "Oy, Ginny you now have competition for Harry's affections…. You had better claim your man before Cho runs away with his heart." Both Ginny and Harry blushed deeply, as the twins ran up to their dorm room, laughing hysterically.

Relieved that the twins had gone to bed for the night, Harry stopped and to think about the plan that they had come up with for the ball. Just as Harry started thinking about the plan, George came running back down the stairs and said, "Just a little present from Nicholas. Read it when you are alone." George stuffed something in his pocket and then turned on his heel and returned to the stairs, running up to his dorm room again.

Harry stood in the middle of the common room, confused. Though, he noticed that Ron and Hermione had taken up their usual perch on the couch in front of the fire. And that Neville and Ginny had found a quiet little corner of the common room opposite to Ron and Hermione to settle into. They were smiling and talking quietly amongst themselves.

Harry smiled. He had seen a growing attraction between Neville and Ginny, particularly since Neville had seemed to have come into his own. His confidence level had been getting greater everyday, with a few set backs here and there, especially with a certain potions master. He wondered if Neville and Ginny were going to go together to the ball again this year. And, judging by the way that they were acting with each other, Harry thought it was very likely that they were.

Harry shuddered as he thought about the ball again and what Fred and George had teased him about before they had gone to bed. Harry was nervous enough about the ball as it was, because he was not a very good dancer, without the twin's words travelling through his brain. 

At the last ball, he had been led in the one dance that he had participated in, by Parvarti, who had been his date. He didn't want that to happen again. This time he wanted to impress his date with how he could dance. He noticed Nicholas was about to head up to his dorm and he had an idea…

"Nicholas, hold up!" Nicholas stopped on the stairs and waited for Harry to catch up to him. They walked up the stairs together, quietly as Harry tried to formulate how to ask him about the dancing that he had done earlier.

"Nicholas, erm… I was just wondering… erm… about the dancing that you did earlier in class…."

"Let me guess," he said with a smile. "You want to know if I really know how to dance like that and if I wouldn't mind giving lessons to you, right?"

"Actually, yes…. I guess I kind of projected that to you, huh?"

"Not really, but you are the third person to ask me about it tonight." 

"Oh?"

"Yeah, both Ron and Neville asked me earlier. So here's the long and short of it… My mother runs a dance studio for witches and wizards. I was there a lot after school when I was younger so, yes I know how to dance like that. And yes I will teach you…" 

Harry smiled. "Thanks."

"Now, I know that you and Ron have Quidditch practice tomorrow night, and since I feel that Neville needs the most help, I'll be meeting with him early. But when you're finished, meet Neville and me in Professor Clovis' classroom."

"Okay. We'll be there."

Harry went to get ready for bed. He was feeling happy, which had been a very rare thing in his life indeed. He had his date, lessons to dance, and his plans for a bit of fun with Draco and company. What more could he need? Then it occurred to him, he did not yet know what he was going to dress up as.

He lay down on his bed, trying to figure it out, falling into an unsettled sleep before any ideas came to his mind and completely forgetting about the paper that had been shoved into his pocket by George.


	15. All Hallow's Eve

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Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. I'd also like to say that in this chapter I include four songs written by modern artists for the ball…. I give credit where credit is due…. I put all of these artists in the band that comes to the ball… look for the artist that I mention prior to the song is the artist who sings and/or performs the songs that are written! I do not own these songs in anyway! They are simply a means to an end in the story…. So please understand that I do not claim them in any way!

Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

In General to all of my fans – I'm so sorry that I haven't put up another chapter until now! I've been busy with the Wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday…. I hope you will all forgive me! Anyhow enjoy this new chapter!!! Oh and please note I have added something to the disclaimer for this chapter!!! Thank you all for reviewing and for your comments and compliments!!! They are all welcome and appreciated!

usakoesm – WELCOME! And thank you for your compliments and comments! How very clever of you to notice that! You are actually the first person to notice that from anywhere that I have posted this ficcy!!! Thank you!!! I was thinking that I hadn't made that clear enough! *wipes brow* :-D

Butler – Thank you for your wonderful comments!!! As for twists and turns… tee hee! well let's just say that I do enjoy a little twist and turn now and again! lol :-D

Chibi-Bex – WOW! Thanks for your wonderful comments compliments!! I'm so glad you like it!!! And let's just say that more will become clear in this chapter! I hope you enjoy it!!!! And yeah Snape is being a little…. nasty shall we say? lol :-D

Jake – Thank you so much for your wonderful comments and continuing interest!! I am sorry that I have been away for so long with the holiday and all!!! But as you requested here is more!! :-D

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN – ALL HALLOW'S EVE

6:30pm Halloween found the Common Room packed with first through third year students, as they had just come back from the special feast made just for them. Harry, Ron, and Neville were sitting in the Common Room, too, waiting anxiously for their dates, though Harry had to wait longer because he was going to meet Cho down by the Great Hall. Ron, despite being incredibly nervous about his first dance with his girlfriend, was complaining about how hungry he was. 

Neville on the other hand had become quite the chatterbox. He was nervous, but only because he hoped that the dance lessons that he had had the previous night with Nicholas, Ron, and Harry, were going to be enough. He remembered all too well how much he stepped on Ginny's toes at the last ball, and he didn't want to do that again this time.

Harry had just checked for about the thousandth time to make sure that he had put the vial of the Imperius potion into the pocket of his dress robes. Harry pulled it out and hoped that there would be enough, then put it back into his pocket again.

Neville having run out of a mental checklist for himself, that he had been going over with himself out loud, turned to Harry. "So, Harry, what are you going as?"

"Godric Gryffindor."

"Wow! Why – How did you chose that?"

"Well, I was having a hard time sleeping last night. Ron noticed that I was still awake when he came up from the Common Room at 1am…."

"It wasn't 1am," said Ron indignantly. "It was 12:56am, thank you very much."

Harry and Neville snorted. 

"Anyway…. Apparently, Hermione got him reading _Hogwarts, A History_ and he found that he liked it…."

"I never said I liked it! I just said that there were… some interesting things in there…."

Harry and Neville laughed. 

"Well, then those 'interesting things' were enough for you to take the book out of the library, then weren't they…." Ron blushed and busied himself with something unseen on the floor. "But he gave the book to me to look through, said he got his idea of what to dress up as in the book. I spent about an hour flipping through it and found nothing of interest. But as I flipped through the last of the pages, my eyes landed on a portrait of a man and a woman. The man had green eyes and dark hair like mine, so I felt that he was as good as any. When I looked down at the names under the portrait, it said Godric and Leona Gryffindor."

"Wicked! So is Cho going to be Leona?"

"No, she said that she had something else interesting in mind. But she said it was Hogwarts related, so that we would match in a sense."

"Cool. And what about you, Ron?"

"Well, as Harry so nicely pointed out, I found what I'm going as in the book too. There was a section on the origins of Magic and it talked about Egypt. I remembered the part about Egypt that I loved the most back two years ago, during the summer, when I went there with my family was the Mutant Skeletons. But Hermione reckoned that that costume might scare people too much so I chose the other thing that fascinated me, the Mummies."

"And what about Hermione?"

"She's going as one of the Egyptian Witch Princesses."

"Wicked!"

Nicholas came down to the Common Room to see all his friends off to the ball. He watched as Fred and George took their dates Katie and Angelina down to the Great Hall early to get a good seat for the rest of them just like they had planned. Nicholas was sad that he wasn't going to get to see any of the fun that would go on at the ball that night. But Harry had promised that Colin would be asked to bring his camera to the ball so that they could get some good pictures. 

Just then Colin came down the stairs, his camera swinging from his neck. Nicholas smiled to himself, knowing that there would be plenty of good pictures taken, as Colin was always snapping pictures about something. Colin stood looking up the girls' staircase and smiled as Natalie came down the steps in a stunning deep purple robe, her hair resting down her back in a long braid-like twist. Colin offered her his arm after staring at her for a few moments openmouthed. She took his arm, smiling, and they walked arm and arm to the portrait hole. Colin crawled through first and held the portrait open for her and helped her through the hole.

Several others seemed to come down at that moment, some already in their costumes. They all met up with their dates and left swiftly. The only people who seemed to be left that were going to the ball were Harry, Ron, and Neville who were still waiting for their dates. Nicholas walked over to the three of them, and seeing the simple looking masks in their hands Nicholas asked, "So explain to me how those simple masks become the elaborate costumes that I've seen leaving the Common Room."

Harry smiled. "It's quite interesting actually. In Transfiguration, today, we were given these plain masks. Professor McGonagall had us all try them on before we did anything to them, and then look around the room. They did nothing. All we saw was that we all had masks on our faces. But then when we took them off she told us to tap them four times and then say 'Vera Exhibeo', followed by what we wanted to be. Then she had us all try on our masks again. When we looked around the class everyone looked different. We looked like what we were going to be for the ball. Only there was a slight catch…. There is always some sort of tell tale sign who it is… For instance, my scar is still there somewhere on the costume."

"Wicked! So could you all put on your masks? I'd really like to see what I'm going to be missing!" said Nicholas.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Harry put his mask on. Instantly he looked like the portrait of Godric Gryffindor. His lightning bolt scar was no longer on his forehead, but on the sleeve of his cloak was a lightning bolt design just like his scar. 

Next Neville put on his mask and he became a male Centaur. Surprisingly enough the upper body of the Centaur completely matched Neville's upper body, which had become much less out of shape with his growing confidence. 

Finally Ron put on his mask and he became an Egyptian Mummy, with tufts of red hair sticking out through the bandages over his head. 

Nicholas smiled as they removed the masks. "Wicked! I really wish I was going…."

"Us too, mate," said Ron.

Then they quietly discussed one last time what their plans were before the girls finally made their way down to the Common Room. Ginny was wearing a set of Chocolate brown robes that matched her eyes. Neville was obviously entranced by Ginny, as he stood there openly staring at her for several moments. 

Hermione was wearing brilliant off-white robes and her hair was sleek and shiny and half up in a top knot, half hanging at her shoulders. She sent Ron a smile that made him weak in the knees. 

The girls smiled at each other, knowing just by the looks that they were getting from their dates that they looked good. 

Once Ron had recovered, he offered Hermione his arm and they all headed toward the portrait hole. Harry crawled through first and offered a hand to help the two girls through. 

As they arrived at the entrance to the Great Hall, Cho came up the stairs from her Common Room. Harry's jaw dropped, as he looked at her in shimmering blue and black satin robes. Here hair that usually was up in a bun, now flowed elegantly down her back, with specks of flashing gold in it. Cho smiled and gently closed Harry's mouth with her hand.

"You look beautiful, Cho."

"Thanks." She kissed him on the cheek.

They put on their masks and instantly were transformed into their costumes. Harry and Cho, as Gryffindor and the Gray Lady, Ravenclaw's ghost, walked in first. Then came Ron and Hermione. Ron's Mummy had a tall, tan, Egyptian Witch Princess on his arm with Hermione's dark blond hair, styled exactly the way she had it when she arrived in the common room. Finally Neville and Ginny, as male and female Centaurs walked in, Ginny's flowing red hair, strategically placed to reveal none of her female features.

Harry looked around the hall for Fred and George. He finally spotted a red howler envelope floating in the air next to a beautiful white snowy owl and knew that it was Fred and Katie at a table close to the staff table. Harry's eyes then fell on the other occupants of their table. There was a lovely Woodland Nymph and a Cornish Pixie. Harry chuckled to himself. _Only Fred and George would think to go as a Howler and a Cornish Pixie_. They all sat down at the table, waiting for the feast to begin. 

While they were waiting for all of the professors to come, Harry looked around at the many assorted creatures and odd things that took up the room. There was an assortment of people from the school's past meandering around as well. Some were humorous, others were somewhat scary, all of them were unique. 

As he looked around, there was a conversation that had picked up between Angelina, the Woodland Nymph, and George, the Cornish Pixie. It was quite amusing listening to George's voice sounding like a Cornish Pixie's high-pitched squeal. Though Harry couldn't quite understand what the two of them were saying, as he was sitting across the table from them.

Something behind them caught his eye though. He looked up at the staff table and was shocked to see a huge tree sitting there, right in the middle of that part of the room. He studied it and saw that it looked very much like the Whomping Willow that he and Ron had had a few run-ins with. But there was something odd about it…. Harry couldn't quite put his finger on it until…. 

He saw long white streaks down the front of the bark and blue eyes with a twinkle in them peering out from the trunk. "Dumbledore?" asked Harry out loud. All of the others looked where Harry was looking.

"Where? I heard the he is going to do something big…. I want to see his costume!" asked Pixie George.

"When did a tree get brought into the Great Hall?" asked the screaming Howler Fred.

Several of the students that were in the hall had heard the screaming question from Fred and looked up to the Head Table. Most gasped and stared openmouthed. People, creatures, and other odd things started crowding into the front of the room. Murmuring ran through the crowd as they all pointed at the tree. 

"Don't you see," said Harry above the din, getting up and walking over beside the tree. "This isn't a tree at all…. It's professor Dumbledore!"

The tree almost seemed to shake with laughter. One of the branches moved down and lifted something. Suddenly Dumbledore was standing there holding up his mask and the tree had disappeared. He came over and put his hand on Harry's shoulder as everyone laughed and clapped for the Headmaster. "I guess that was not as clever a disguise after all. You saw right through it."

"Actually, sir, it took me a few minutes to figure out that it was you."

"Yes, but not even Professor McGonagall figured it out until I showed her. Well done, Harry."

"How did you know…?"

With a twinkle in his eyes, Dumbledore lifted Harry's right arm and pointed to the sleeve where the shape of his scar resided.

"Oh…"

Dumbledore turned to address the rest of the students and teachers standing there. "I would imagine that the rest of those who are coming will be meandering in shortly. In the meantime please sit and order some food from your plates. The dancing shall begin in just under an hour. I would appreciate it if we all removed our masks while eating. Thank you and enjoy."

He went and sat down, ordering the chicken from the plate in front of him. Instantly his meal appeared in front of him. He began to pick up his utensils. Everyone, realizing that the show was over, returned to their seats and ordered their dinners as well. 

While they ate, Harry, Fred, George, Cho, Neville, and Ginny looked around for Draco and his cronies, but had yet to find them. In fact, there were very few Slytherins rambling about. Harry started thinking that perhaps they weren't going to show up. He frowned, but realized that there was always another time to do what they had planned, if need be. He turned back to his plate and noticed that one in their group was not eating, but rather pushing her food around on the plate.

Harry leaned over to the girl sitting to the right of him and asked, "Hermione, are you okay?"

She looked up with worry in her eyes. 

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not so sure about this, Harry…. What if we get caught? What if get into trouble? What if…"

"Too many what ifs, Hermione. We didn't get caught when we made the Polyjuice Potion in our second year, at least not really. Or when we used your time turner in third year, or when you helped me to perfect the charms last year…." 

"Yes, but those were all things that we did to ourselves. It didn't involve other students and I am now a prefect. I have to set a good example for the younger students…"

"If you don't want to participate for fear of punishment, you don't have to. There're enough of us now that if you want to drop out of doing this, it's okay…"

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely…. It would be more fun if you were enjoying this too, but… I completely understand."

Hermione smiled. She nodded, making it clear that she didn't want to participate for the time being. 

"Besides at the moment it doesn't even look like most of the Slytherins are going to show up tonight. There aren't too many of them here." 

Hermione gave him a questioning look and started glancing about the room. She had to admit that Harry was right. She shrugged and turned back to her plate which, she realized, she hadn't even really touched yet. Aware suddenly that she was famished, she began to eat.

Just then the door opened and many of the Slytherins walked into the Great Hall wearing black dress robes, masks in hand. They sauntered over to the empty tables and sat down. They all ordered their meals and ate quickly. There seemed to be some sort of private joke travelling amongst them. Several of them were putting their heads together. 

Harry watched them with mild interest as they looked about the room with wide, sly grins on their faces. A really bad feeling swept over him. He got a chill that ran up and down his spine, and he shivered visibly. 

Several of the Slytherins got up and made their way about the room. Draco and his cronies came over to their table, drinks in hand. "So if it isn't Muddy, Potty, and all of the remaining Weasels. Oh and of course Widebottom and some useless Quidditch players." Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly looking at each other and talking to each other quietly.

All of the people at the table tensed visibly and Harry had to hold Cho's arm tightly to keep her from doing something rash. He could hear what she wanted to do to Malfoy. Harry projected calming thoughts into her mind. _Think about what our plan is and what you can do then…._ She relaxed slightly.

Draco stood, leaning against the back of Harry's chair. "What do you want, Malfoy?" asked Harry bitingly.

"I should think that that would be obvious, Potty."

"Enlighten me."

Draco leaned in and whispered, "I guess you'll just have to wait and see. There is a surprise coming tonight, Potter. You have been forewarned."

A sense of dread and foreboding passed through Harry. He knew that Malfoy was telling the truth, but beyond that he could not decipher from Malfoy's mind what was going to happen. Malfoy pushed back from the chair rather forcefully. Harry muttered something that no one could hear just before Malfoy drank down the rest of his juice. Crabbe and Goyle followed Draco's lead and drank down theirs too. Malfoy moved away and went back to his table.

Harry turned back to the table and looked at Hermione. She nervously handed him something under the table, and Harry slipped it into the pocket inside his robes. After a few minutes, Harry noticed a dazed look in Malfoy's eyes and again Harry muttered something that only those near him could hear. Malfoy suddenly seemed to come alive again, as if coming out of a trance.

Once everyone was finished with their food, Dumbledore got up and asked them all to stand so he could move the tables out of the center of the room. The tables moved back against the wall, at the same moment that the doors flew open and Norbert the Dragon entered the room. Several people near him, cowered in fright until Norbert lifted a claw and lifted something off of his face. Suddenly Hagrid appeared where Norbert had been.

"Sorry," he said helping a girl near him to get to her feet. "I din' mean ter scare yeh…"

Dumbledore chuckled as Hagrid made his way up to the staff table. Hagrid whispered something to Dumbledore who appeared to get angry very briefly and then nod toward Hagrid. "Stay and eat, Hagrid. Then return to your duties." Hagrid nodded and sat down, ordering a heaping plate of pork chops and a goblet of mead.

Everyone crowded out onto the dance floor. The Chimaera, a new and wildly popular group ran to the stage to an excited applause. The women in the group were wearing iridescent green and purple patched robes with their hair hanging down their backs, while the men were all in crimson and gold robes with a picture of a Chimaera on the back, each having a unique hairdo. They picked up their instruments and were about to begin playing when the doors of the Great Hall opened.

From where Harry was he couldn't see what was going on. There was a stunned silence before all of the people near the entrance began running toward the head table, screaming. Harry was still trying to see what was going on, when suddenly his scar started burning and he fell to his knees, almost getting trampled by people running toward him. 

Harry could finally see the entrance to the room now that most of the students were behind him. Through his pain he managed to make out several darkly clad figures, including one at the front with a snake like face. It was Voldemort. Voldemort raised his arm and his cold cruel laughter filled the room….

Harry had been in the process of pulling his mask down over his eyes when Voldemort had stepped in. Now it slipped down over his eyes and instantly the burning in his head subsided. His right forearm began to burn, but not unbearably. Harry at his arm questioningly and realized that he was back in his costume. Still confused, he thought for a moment why Voldemort wouldn't affect him, as much, in his costume. Then he remembered what Professor McGonagall had said earlier that day when they had worked on their masks.

__

"Remember, chose what you are going to be, wisely, as you will take on some of the properties of what ever you become. For instance, say you wanted to be a ghost…. You would not only appear see through, but also become that way. You would also feel cold to the touch and not as tangible to you partner, unless they were a ghost as well. But you will retain a very recognizable part of yourself someplace on your costume…."

It all made sense now to Harry. In the form of Gryffindor he wouldn't be affected that much because Gryffindor wouldn't be if he were to face Voldemort. Harry got to his feet and faced his mortal enemy. He stood defiantly looking at Voldemort, who continued to laugh in a most odd way. He seemed almost to be laughing gleefully, yet still in his cold cruel way. 

Harry furrowed his brow as he looked into the snake-like… blue eyes? Harry began really studying the figures that stood before him. Voldemort was laughing uncontrollably with his hand up and pointing at the group. There was no wand in his hand. And there were tufts of white blond hair showing from beneath the hood of the cloak.

The other figures, Harry realized did not seem very threatening as everyone first thought. One was a girl that looked very much like the Sorceress Morgana. There were two Deatheaters, one male and one female, and what looked like Salazar Slytherin and his wife, Sorcha. They all appeared to be laughing. Not to mention most of the Slytherins were still standing by the entrance to the hall laughing as well.

Harry started walking toward the group. He muttered something under his breath and Voldemort, Slytherin, and the male Deatheater all stopped laughing and reached up to their faces. Suddenly before them appeared Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, looking like they were under a trance again, briefly. 

When the others in the group realized that Malfoy had stopped laughing and had taken off his mask the other three did the same. Lucy-Ann Rodney, Malfoy's girlfriend, stood off to the side of Malfoy. Millicent Bulstrode stood next to Crabbe. And Blaise Zabini was standing near Goyle.

Professor McGonagall began to step forward toward the group by the door. "Explain yourselves! How did you get back out in the hall? And what were you all thinking dressing up like that?" She had reached the group now. "Better yet, you had best all follow me." 

Dumbledore looked about the room and said calmly, "Well, now that the crisis has been averted, please resume the festivities, while the situation is remedied. Thank you." Dumbledore nodded to a person that Harry could not see and swept out of the room. 

Shortly thereafter Snape followed them out. Harry furrowed his brow. _Where did he come from? He wasn't been in the hall during the whole of dinner…,_ thought Harry

Harry told Draco and his cronies, with his mind, that they had better explain themselves fully to the Deputy Headmistress. But he too wanted an explanation. He told Draco to open his mind to him so that he could see everything. 

Harry frowned as the music started up and everyone began to slowly come out of a trance-like state of fear. They all began to come to the dance floor in couples and groups, feeling that, even though there was never really a threat to begin with, they were safer in crowds or groups. 

Harry needed a quiet place to concentrate. He looked around at the group of his friends and they slipped off to the corner, where their table was. They sat down, took their masks off, and spoke quietly about what had happened. 

"Well, I guess that our fun with Malfoy is over for the evening. Snape will throw the book at him!" said Ron.

They all looked at Harry whom they knew had slipped Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle the potion, with the help of Hermione. "I'm not sure right now, actually. I can't really understand what is going on with them, because I need a quiet place to hear what's going on in Draco's mind."

"Why don't we go for a walk out in the rose garden?" suggested Cho.

They slipped around the edge of the dance floor and out into the entrance hall, where the front doors stood open, letting in a gentle fall breeze. They walked out the door and into the garden. 

There were jack-o-lanterns floating about ten feet above and lighting up the winding ornamental paths. They all sat down on a stone bench that seemed to stretch just for them. They quietly waited for Harry to tell them what was going on….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

Draco stood with the other five that Professor McGonagall had brought to her office as she continued her three-minute tirade. "What were you thinking? You know that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is the most feared wizard in the world! You can't be so daft to think that you would not have gotten a response like that! How did you even get out of the Great Hall? Explain yourself!"

Draco struggled to make up a lie but only the truth fell from his lips. "We just wanted to stir things up bit, for the Dark Lord. We wanted to show that even Hogwarts is not out of his reach. We sneaked back out when that stupid half-giant came into the hall. Then waited for precisely the right moment and came back in with our masks on…."

Professor McGonagall looked like she was having an internal struggle. She had the appearance of someone who had just stuck a very sour lemon into her mouth. After a few more moments of very tense silence, she looked up toward the door of her office, causing Draco and the others to turn and look. There, in the doorway, stood the Headmaster with a very palpable aura surrounding him and the usual twinkle in his eyes was gone. Behind him was their head of house, Snape.

Draco and the others seemed to cower under the stares of the three Professors. The silence of the room was deafening. Draco swallowed hard and waited for the judgement to be passed upon him and the others.

Dumbledore finally turned his eyes away from the six students and looked at Professor McGonagall and then Professor Snape. "I believe that the punishment should fit the crime. Mr. Malfoy is obviously under some sort of mind control, I can sense its power there, but it is weak at best. I believe that it will be easily overcome. 

"But that does not excuse him, or any of his accomplices, from this crime. They will return to the ball and give a public apology. They will be allowed to stay at the ball without their masks. However, there **will** be no further attempts to scare the other students tonight… or a more severe punishment will be given. If, however Mr. Malfoy or any of his friends, choose to make his fellow students laugh however… that would be fine." He looked deep into Draco's eyes over the top of his half-moon spectacles and a slight twinkle almost seemed to return to his eyes, briefly. "Now, I will leave you to your head of house, as I am sure that he has some additional punishment."

Snape stepped forward and reamed the six of them out, as Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall stepped out of her office. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry had been sitting quietly, for the most part, with his eyes closed for some time. Harry had looked angry once, shuddered once, and gasped twice, before grinning slyly and then widely. They all were anxiously awaiting him to open his eyes and tell them what he saw. Suddenly his eyes flew open and everyone jumped.

"Sorry," he said.

He projected part of what had happened into their minds, and their reactions were very similar to his. They all looked mad at the comment that Draco had against Hagrid. They shuddered to feel the very palpable power of Dumbledore when he entered the room. They gasped when they realized that Draco got off easily from the Headmaster.

Hermione, who had been against the plan from the beginning of the night, said, "I can't believe it! Dumbledore saw that he was under mind control and he let him off! Harry, we should never have given him that potion! He would have gotten what he truly deserved if we hadn't!"

Harry looked at her. She suddenly calmed down and a look of pure enjoyment passed over her face before she burst out laughing.

"What?" yelled Fred and George together. "What is so funny?" continued Fred.

Harry smiled and projected what came next into the rest of their minds. They all gasped, as they heard Dumbledore's comment about it being okay for Draco to _"make his fellow students laugh"_. Then with the look that Dumbledore had given to Draco, there was a message that had floated through to Harry's mind, which he projected to the others….

__

"Very interesting though that this mind control seems to have been put on him only in the last hour… and he had been planning this little deception since he had found out about the Masque…. It would be a true punishment if he thought that he had made the decision to do things to make others laugh, on his own." It was at that moment that Dumbledore's eyes began to twinkle.

Everyone sitting in the garden began to laugh. That was as close as they were going to come to getting approval from their Headmaster to follow through with their plans. When everyone calmed down again, Harry finished showing them the last of what happened. 

__

After about 10 minutes of ranting and raving about how they had shamed the house and scarred it for the next seven years, Snape finally gave out his punishment to the six students. They were to report to Filch everyday for a month and they were to help him with his cleaning duties, or anything else that Filch needed them for.

They all stood there in shock and were disgusted by the prospect of having to help a squib with his daily duties, especially when it required doing "servant stuff". They scuffed their feet and handed all of their masks to Snape as they left to return to the Great Hall to make their public apology, so that they could enjoy their last night of freedom.

The group of them scrambled to get to their feet, with wide grins on their faces. They knew that Draco was probably already giving his public apology and they wanted to be there when he finished to begin to carry out their plan.

Draco had just gotten up to the stage when Harry and his friends had entered the Great Hall. They were excited that they hadn't missed the apology. 

Draco looked extremely put out and out of his element. He had never really had to apologize for anything before in his life, at least not to this scale. He felt humiliated and as he stood there looking at the sea of angry faces in front of him, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous too.

He looked at Dumbledore and Snape, who were standing off to the side of the stage, waiting for him to get on with his apology. Snape had his arms crossed and foot tapping. Dumbledore simply stood there, patiently waiting. Draco cleared his throat and mumbled something softly.

"What was that, Mr. Malfoy? I don't believe that they heard you," said Snape with a bite to his voice.

"I'm sorry for playing such a nasty trick on everyone."

"I think there may be some people in the back who didn't hear you," seethed Snape.

"I'M SORRY THAT I PLAYED THAT TRICK ON EVERYONE!!" 

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. You may return to the floor. Miss Rodney…"

They each took their turns apologizing and the band was told that they were welcome to go back up onto the stage, whenever they were done with their break. Harry and the group of them decided to let the three that were under the power of the potion to have a few seconds peace before they began their pranks. They took the time to put the finishing touches onto their plan….

"We had better really make this good! After what they did tonight, they would deserve whatever we do to them…" said Hermione avidly.

"So are you back with us on this, Mione?" asked Ron.

"You bet I am! I nearly got trampled tonight when he came in like that, so did Harry! Now, I had a thought of what we could add to up the ante a bit. I know that it is something that Muggles do at Weddings to make fools out of themselves…."

After several minutes of fine tuning their plans, Harry looked over and saw the six miserable Slytherins sitting in the opposite corner of the room. The twins were ready to complete the their phase of the plan. When the band came back to stage and began playing their next set of songs, Fred and George took their dates out to the dance floor and began dancing toward the corner where Draco and his group sat. 

When they just about reached Draco and his group, Harry muttered something under his breath. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle got a glassy eyed look for a few moments and then returned to normal. Harry waited for Fred to look at him and then he nodded to let them know that it was okay to begin.

Then next song that came on was a lively, sprightly tune and Fred and George walked toward the group. "What's a matter, Malfoy? Too afraid to join the dancing and singing contest?"

"What contest?" asked Lucy-Ann. 

"Don't you remember? The one that they announced at the beginning of the dance. Oh…." Fred snapped his fingers. "That's right, YOU were out of the hall when they announced it…. There is a best dancing couples category, a best individual dancer category, and the best ballad singer category."

Lucy–Ann aggressively grabbed Draco's arm and dragged him out to the dance floor. The others followed them and all began dancing rather well to the lively tune. Fred and George looked at each other and then smirked widely. George muttered, "Perform the Chicken Dance," and he and Fred then projected the image that Hermione had given them just a few moments prior, into Draco, Crabbe and Goyle's minds. Suddenly they were doing a funny thing with their hands, flapping their arms, doing a sort of twist to the floor and back up, and then clapping. Then they repeated the steps many times, even after the music had stopped.

Lucy–Ann, Millicent, and Blaise were watching their dates humiliate themselves in horror. They stood there, mouths gaping open and blushing profusely. The three girls tried to drag their dates off of the floor, as people were starting to stare and laugh. But Draco would have no part of it. 

The music changed to a slow song and the girls tried to get them to stop and they wouldn't. So the girls returned to their seats and watched the three of them make fools of themselves.

Fred, George, Angelina, and Katie returned to their table, laughing hysterically, as the three boys had begun doing the chicken dance. They noticed that Colin had gotten up from the table where he was sitting with Natalie and began taking as many pictures of the scene as he could, which made everyone at Harry's table laugh harder.

Once they had calmed down enough and the music had changed to a slow dance, Hermione and Ron got up with Neville and Ginny. They walked out to the floor and stood around the floor watching the scene with the many other students that were standing there. Ron, stifling a laugh, muttered something under his breath and suddenly Draco began singing very loudly and off-key to the instrumental music that was being played. Crabbe and Goyle started trying to harmonize with him, badly. They walked over to their dates and serenaded them on bended knee, horribly.

The three girls looked at each other and got up trying to get away, but the boys threw themselves at their ankles and wrapped their arms around them. Utterly embarrassed by the crowd of observers that were laughing hysterically at the fact that they were repeatedly singing a short ballad similar to the one that had been sent to Harry as a singing Valentine during his second year:

__

Your skin is as smooth as a Shrivelfig's skin.

You hair flows just like bubotubor pus.

Like lacewing flies, you have puffer-fish eyes,

And we hope that you girls will still love us.

They stopped singing when the instrumental piece was finished. When the music started up in a faster beat, they were once again on their feet and dancing the Chicken Dance. The three girls stormed out of the hall completely and utterly embarrassed, and not wanting to see what other stupid tricks the boys would do.

Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny returned to the table, laughing uncontrollably to the point that they were almost tripping all over each other. They all sat there laughing with the rest of the crowd. 

When Draco and the others returned to doing the chicken dance, everyone looked at Harry and Cho, who, smiling broadly, got to their feet. Harry said, "And now for the best part!"

They walked to the dance floor and waited for the next slow song before Harry began muttering under his breath. Cho then added something and they walked away from the floor at the end of the song. The next song to was a slow song and instantly Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle looked glassy eyed, for a split second.

Harry and Cho got to their seats quickly so that they could enjoy the show that was about to begin. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle took out their wands and transfigured their robes into pink flamingo costumes, complete with pink tights, feathers that encircled their waists, wings, and hats the looked like flamingo heads. The costume alone made the crowd laugh at them.

Then they proceeded to attempt to do ballet in the very center of the room. Goyle actually got caught up trying to do a split. He couldn't move very well after that, but he tried. Crabbe actually grabbed Draco at one point and threw him into the air. Draco landed hard on his rump, but got back up and continued to dance, albeit more morosely. 

They continued on in this way as long as the laughter and slow music were there. Then when a fast song started again they did a strange cross between very bad ballet and the chicken dance, still in their pink flamingo suits.

Finally, after the last song in that set for the band, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle collapsed to the floor in a heap, breathing heavily. After they caught their breath, they got up and bowed their way out of the room to laughter. The last phrase that they heard, before leaving the room was, "You believe that you humiliated yourself by choice and will not remember being commanded to do so by any of the second generation of Marauders…." 

Everyone at the table with Harry laughed hysterically. Fred and George literally fell out of their seats with laughter. Between his fits of laughter Harry looked up to the Staff Table and noticed that Dumbledore too was laughing quite consistently, though never losing his composure. Even Professor McGonagall was laughing hard, even though she looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh at all. Harry continued to scan the Staff table and every Professor there seemed to be enjoying the show, except of course Professor Snape, who got up and left part way through the ballet dancing and didn't come back until the band took stopped for another break.

Harry had noticed that Lina was sitting next to Snape and had felt his heart ache just slightly, before turning back to watch Draco and the others humiliating themselves, but he didn't seem to enjoy it quite as much. He still laughed but it wasn't as hard as it had been. And though Cho didn't want to admit it to herself, she knew exactly why.

After Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle had left, the band came back from their break, introduced themselves, and began the next set of songs. Since Harry and the other Second-Generation Marauders were done with their fun, they decided to really get up and enjoy the dance. Professor Fletcher stopped them and they all sat back down at the table.

He leaned on the table and looked around at all of them. "So," he said. "You had a bit of fun with the Imperius Potion I see…. It's a good thing that the Ministry has denied the existence of the potions, or I'd have to report you for using an Unforgivable curse." Everyone in the group looked horrified, they hadn't expected anyone to completely figure it out other than Dumbledore, nor had they ever thought of the consequences if someone else did. Professor Fletcher actually smiled slyly and chuckled. "Good show…. Full marks. I think you used it very well, because that Malfoy character did need to be brought down a few pegs. But heed this warning, do not let that sort of fun happen outside of school." They all nodded and Professor Fletcher left the hall.

They all shared a look before they got up again and went to the edge of the dance floor. They all realized that this was truly going to be the first dance that they were going to do together. Harry, Ron, and Neville were getting a bit nervous, but Harry vowed to dance with Cho the very next song that the band started.

The Chimaera's lead singer to this point had been Maria Nayler and she announced that the band would be stirring things up a bit by having each of the band members perform a song that was their favorite in the repertoire of the band. She first introduced Sarah McLachlan, who told the crowd that she was going to sing "Fear". 

As the music began Harry's heart began to thump in his chest, but he put that aside when he looked at Cho's face and saw the smile resided there. He turned toward Cho and offered her his hand. "Would you like to dance?"

She turned her head and saw his hand out to her. She gladly took it nodding her head and smiling. They moved onto the dance floor. Cho put her head on Harry's shoulder, as he skillfully lead her, revolving on the spot. 

Sarah McLachlan began the tauntingly beautiful song:

__

Morning smiles

Like the face 

Of a newborn child

Innocent Unknowing

Winter's end

Promises

Of a long lost Friend

Speaks to me of comfort

But I fear

I have nothing to give 

I have so much 

To lose here in this lonely place

Tangled up in your embrace

There's nothing I'd like better than 

To fall

To fall

To fall

To fall

Wind in time 

Rapes the flower 

Trembling on the Vine

And nothing yields to shelter

From above

They say Temptation will destroy our love 

The never ending hunger

But I fear 

I have nothing to give

I have so much 

To lose here in this lonely place

Tangled up in our embrace

There's nothing I'd like better than 

To fall

To fall

To fall

To fall

Morning smiles

Like the face

Of a newborn child

Innocent Unknowing

Winter's end

Promises

Of a long lost friend

Speaks to me of Comfort

But I fear 

I have nothing to give

I have so much 

To lose here in this lonely place

Tangled up in our embrace

There' nothing I'd like better than

To fall

To fall

To fall

To fall

Cho smiled at Harry at the end of the song and walked off the dance floor arm in arm with him. As she got off the floor, she noticed some of her friends waving at her frantically. She rolled her eyes and looked at Harry as they walked back to the refreshment table to get a drink. She looked at his profile and watched his expression. Behind the gentle smile that he wore on his face was a great pain and sadness that had nothing to do with his past. 

When they got their drinks and sat down at their table, her friends once again caught her eye with their frantic waving. With one last glance at his face she said, "Would you mind it terribly if I went for a walk with my friends. They've been trying to get my attention all evening."

"Sure. No Problem." 

She was about to get up when she turned back to him and looked right into his emerald green eyes, the ones that she had fallen into on several occasions, and this time was no exception. "Harry… I know that there is someone else that you'd like to dance with here tonight…. She just happens to be dressed up as Godric's wife, Leona…. I know that you didn't plan to dress up in costumes that go together, but you did." 

Harry looked at her quizzically. 

"If you dance with her, I'm okay with that."

"But, I'm here with you…."

Cho put her hand up to his mouth. "Harry, don't argue with me…. I know where your mind is and I know where her mind is too. I've had a great evening of fun and you dance wonderfully. I will not forget that you were willing to give this night to me. But I know your heart, perhaps better than you know it yourself. It's hard to see things sometimes. I know that your heart breaks just a little when you see her with someone else… but so does hers when she sees you with me. I can't tell you the number of times that I have felt her looking at us and I found that I was right. You two are meant to be together, even though your age does not permit it right now…." She grabbed his hand and then started getting up.

"But…."

"Harry, don't argue with me. You have found the one that you are supposed to be with."

"But she's not! She was put under the Imperius Curse to make me think that she…."

"Oh, Harry…. That was all a ruse and you know it!"

"But Snape…."

"If you don't take advantage of this night Harry, when you can truly let your feelings be free, behind that mask, then you are missing out on the only opportunity to ever freely tell her how you feel."

"Won't everyone know?"

"No. Only those who truly know you. For all they know I could have transfigured my mask again to match yours. I'm going to leave now with my friends, and I'm not coming back tonight. Again thank you, for giving me a dream to remember. I will always love you, Harry Potter. But just like that saying 'If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours…. If it doesn't it never was.' I love you enough to let you go. If you come back to me then I'll know that I was wrong, but… I know that I am not wrong." She kissed him on the lips and got up leaving Harry to his very confused thoughts.

Harry watched her leave, looked into his cup, and pushed it away. This was turning out to be the best and the worst night of his life. He sat there and blankly watched as Maria Nayler introduced the next song that the band would perform was chosen by Robert Miles, and being that he was the instrumentalist of the band, she was going to sing the vocals for the piece called "One and One".

Haunting music began as Ron finally got the courage to take Hermione out onto the floor.

__

The sky isn't always blue

The sun doesn't always shine

It's alright to fall apart sometimes, mmmm

I am not always you

And you are not always mine

It's all right to fall apart sometimes

After all is said and done 

One and one still is one

When we cry, when we laugh

I am half, you are half

The heart isn't always true

And I am not always fine

We all have an angry heart sometimes

After all is said and done

One and one still is one

When we cry, when we laugh

I am half, you are half

Look how far we have come

One and one still is

One moon (one moon)

One star (one star)

I love the one we are

One thread (one thread)

One line (one line)

Let's stand still in time

One moon (one moon)

One star (one star)

I love the one we are

One thread (one thread)

One line (one line)

That runs through our lives

After all is said and done

One and one still is one

When we cry, when we laugh

I am half, you are half

Look how far we have come

One and one still is one, ah

Ooh.

Harry watched them through part of the song. He could see that Ron and Hermione were really a couple now. They were enjoying every moment of the dance together. He felt the old jealous feelings that he had had earlier in the year sneaking in through the back door of his mind. He shook his head and vowed not to let those feelings to enter his mind again. When the song was over Harry got up from the table and swiftly walked out the doors to the garden to get fresh cool air into his lungs. 

He walked aimlessly, through the drizzle that was in the air and when he snapped out of his trance like state he realized he could hear voices and that he had no idea where in the garden he was. He didn't want to eavesdrop so he began to look around to see if he could find his way back through the maze-like paths. He had just turned around, when he heard his name. He froze to listen to what was being said….

"Harry was there I tell you!" said Professor Clovis' voice.

"Well, he shouldn't have been. He knew that I was going to get you out," came the voice of someone Harry least wanted to be near.

"Severus, you don't understand. If he hadn't been there I would never have found my way back…. He risked his life to save me…."

"So did I! Do think I enjoyed having the Dark Lord discover me? He put me under the Cruciatus Curse for a long time because I let you go!"

"And yet you survived. Whereas if Harry was discovered, he would not have."

"Why are you so fixed on Potter? He is not your date tonight. I am! And you have shown me how much you enjoy my company, by accepting my invitation to come to the masque with me…."

"Look, Severus… while I am flattered by your… advances, I came with you because I had…."

It suddenly got very quiet and Harry sneaked around to where he could see his two professors. They were kissing. Harry felt as if his heart were made of paper and it had just been set on fire the ashes spreading on the wind. Even though it was killing him, he continued to watch, until the separated. Then something truly unexpected to both Harry and Snape happened. Professor Clovis slapped Snape across the face.

"Why did you do that?" asked Snape in shock, rubbing his cheek.

"Do not mistake my gratitude for helping to save my life as affection. I came with you tonight because you and I both have jobs to do. And I personally didn't want to come alone. You were the only one to ask me…."

"Who did you want to ask you? Potter? Don't tell me that you actually have feelings for one of your students…. You know that it is forbidden to pursue a relationship with a student!"

"I never said I was going to pursue my feelings for him while I'm teaching here…"

"So you admit it! You _do_ have feelings for him. That's sick. You are so much older than him," said Snape bitingly.

"No more sick than _you_ having feelings for _me_. The span between us is almost twice that of what it is for me and Harry!"

"That's different!"

"How is that different? You know what? No, I'm not having this discussion with you. I don't have to justify myself or my feelings to you or anyone else."

"I think that the Headmaster might feel differently about that," Snape seethed.

"You wouldn't," said Lina in a dangerous voice. "You know what? I don't even care! You go right ahead and tell him! Now, I will say this once and only once…. Stay out of my life! Thank you very much for helping to save my life, you have my gratitude. But after what you told me tonight, I do not care to have anything more to do with you. If you will excuse me, I have a job to do, and you should be getting back to yours as well…." She got up and started to walk away toward Harry. Harry, afraid that she would see that he had been eavesdropping, started back up the path. Just at the same moment that he did, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Snape had grabbed her wrist. He listened as he ran up the path. 

"Never forget that you owe me a life debt, Miss Clovis…." Harry heard no more. He kept running for some time. Not paying any attention to where he was going, he got himself lost in the maze again. He found a seat where he could sit and reflect on what he had heard. He put his head in his hands. _So, Lina really does love me too?_ He felt his confusion come to a peak. He truly wanted to run back down that path and pull her into his arms, telling her his every feeling about her, but he too knew that it was wrong for him to want to do that, since she was his teacher.

__

Maybe I can convince Cho that she is wrong…. I suppose I could learn to love her…. I did after all have a crush on her before, maybe I could tap into it again…. Lost in his thoughts he almost missed the voices that seemed to appear suddenly out of nowhere on a path that ran behind him somewhere. The group seemed to have stopped just behind him. Again, he heard his name. He was going to ignore what was being said until he heard Cho's voice speaking.

"Harry is a really nice guy, but I can't be with him."

"Why not?" asked one of Cho's friends.

"Well, for a couple of reasons really…. First, I know that his heart truly belongs to someone else, and I refuse to be second to anyone. And second, while I find him cute, it's not in the usual way. I've known since our fourth year and his third year, when I first played against him in Quidditch, that he has had a little crush on me and when he asked me to the ball last year it confirmed my suspicions of that…."

"So see, he does like you! I'm sure you could make him forget that other girl."

"Well, maybe, but like I said, I don't really like him like that. For one brief moment I thought I could possibly like him in that way, but… after tonight I found that I truly care for him more like a sister would a brother, not like a girlfriend should a boyfriend…." The voices faded away as they had resumed walking back toward the school.

Harry had heard enough. He knew that what Cho had said was true. 

After sitting there for a few minutes longer he felt a hand settle onto his arm. He jumped and looked up straight into the eyes of the woman that he knew he loved. She jumped back a bit, startled.

"Sorry," they both said together.

"Harry, what are you doing out here in the drizzling rain? You could get sick."

"I could ask you the same thing… but I'm out here trying to figure out my messed up life."

"What do you mean?"

Harry proceeded to tell Lina about the conversation that he had had earlier in the evening with Cho and what he had just overheard her saying to her friends. He told her everything that was said, hoping that she would figure out why he had been so cold to her the past few weeks. He looked at her hopefully when he finished.

"You were there then…. I knew it! I remembered you bringing me back to my body, and I remembered feeling your pain and sadness, but I couldn't understand why until Severus just explained it to me. Oh, Harry, I was never under the Imperius Curse. Everything that you have felt coming from me has been true. I know that it's not right, but…."

Harry got up and walked away a bit. She was afraid that he couldn't except what she told him as the truth because of his belief that she was under the Imperius Curse. He turned back and looked at her confused face. The pain and confusion was evident on his face as well. He walked back to the bench and held his hand out to her. Looking into his beautiful emerald eyes she took his hand.

They walked hand and hand quietly for a bit. He didn't know where he was going, but he let his heart guide him. He just wanted to get away from where they had been, as Snape had been watching them and listening to them. He could feel that Snape was still behind them. Suddenly to his right came a rustling in the bush and some soft laughter. He and Lina kept walking, but he knew that Snape would be torn between wanting to follow them and doing his duty as a proctor to the dance. Harry knew though in the end, Snape would rather catch a pair of students, than following them. 

They walked a little way further before Harry turned to Lina, and said, "Look, I know that we shouldn't explore our feelings for each other right now because of the fact that we are student and teacher. But couldn't we for just one night, where we are disguised and no one will truly know who we are, dance together and be free. Just this once…"

Lina looked at Harry and, feeling the passion of his request and knowing in her heart that she wanted that too, accepted his offer. They put on their masks and jumped when they both realized that they truly had chosen costumes that matched each other. 

They walked arm in arm into the hall and most stopped and stared at them, and figuring that it was Harry and Cho, they greeted them that way. Harry and Lina didn't say anything to change those beliefs, but they didn't acknowledge that those beliefs were true either.

They walked to the edge of the dance floor and waited for the next song to begin. At the end of the song Maria Nayler once again came to the front of the stage. "I wish to introduce to you the newest and youngest member of the band, Daniel Bedingfield."

A very young looking wizard walked to the front of the stage and announced that he would be singing the song "If You're Not the One." As he turned to the others to see when they were ready to begin, Harry as Godric held out his hand to Lina as Leona. They walked to the center of the room and got lost in their embrace as Harry began revolving with her on the spot as Daniel began singing:

__

If you're not the one,

Then why does my soul feel glad today?

If you're not the one,

Then why does my hand fit yours this way?

If you are not mine,

Then why does you're heart return my call?

If you were not mine,

Would I have the strength to stand at all?

I'll never know what the future brings,

But I know you're here with me now.

We'll make it through

And I hope you are the one I share my life with.

I don't want to run away,

But I can't take it.

I don't understand.

If I'm not made for you,

Then why does my heart tell me that I am?

Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

If I don't need you,

Then why am I crying on my bed?

If I don't need you,

Then why does your name resound in my head?

If you're not for me,

Then why does this distance maim my life?

If you're not for me, 

Then why do I dream of you as my wife?

I don't know why you're so far away,

But I know that this much is true,

We'll make it through

And I hope you are the one

I share my life with,

And I wish that you could be the one I die with,

And I pray you're the one I build my home with.

I hope I love you all my life.

I don't want to run away,

But I can't take it.

I don't understand.

If I'm not made for you,

Then why does my heart tell me that I am?

Is there any way that I can stay in your arms,

'Cause I miss you body and soul

So strong that it takes my breath away.

And I breathe you into my heart, 

And pray for the strength to stand today.

'Cause I love you whether it's wrong or right,

And though I can't be with you tonight,

You know my heart is by your side.

I don't want to run away,

But I can't take it.

I don't understand.

If I'm not made for you,

Then why does my heart tell me that I am?

Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

At the end of the song there were tears running down Lina's face. The song truly betrayed how she felt about Harry. Harry too felt slightly in awe of the song that had just ended. They slowly walked off the dance floor where they had felt like they were the only ones dancing to the song, though they knew they hadn't been.

They walked by Neville and Ginny who had obviously still not been on the dance floor at all yet. The band announced that it would be the last song of the night and Neville knew that it was now of never. So he offered his hand to Ginny and swallowed hard. "Ginny, w-would you care to dance?"

Ginny took his hand, got up, smiled broadly. "I thought you would never ask."

Neville offered her his arm and she slid her arm through it. They walked out to the floor and waited for the song to begin. Maria Nayler announced that the last song would be chosen by the third witch in the group, Dido. She walked to the front of the stage and announced she would be singing the song "Take My Hand".

Neville turned and smiled at Ginny as Dido's beautiful unearthly voice filled the room.

__

Touch my skin

And tell me what you're thinking

Take my hand 

And show me where we're going

Lie down next to me

Look into my eyes 

And tell me

Oh tell me what you're seeing

So sit on top of the world 

And tell me how you're feeling

What you feel now is 

What I feel for you

Take my hand 

And if I'm lying to you

I'll always be alone

If I'm lying to you…

See my eyes

They carry your reflection

Watch my lips 

And hear the words I'm telling you

Give your trust to me

And look into my heart

And show me

Show me what you're doing

So sit on top of the world 

And tell me how you're feeling

What you feel now is 

What I feel for you

Take my hand 

And if I'm lying to you

I'll always be alone

If I'm lying to you

Take your time

If I'm lying to you

I know that you'll find 

That you believe me

You believe me

You believe me

You believe me

Feel the sun on your face

And tell me what you're thinking

Catch the snow on your tongue

And show me how it tastes (ay, ay, ay, ay, ay)

Take your time

Take my hand 

And if I'm lying to you

I'll always be alone

If I'm lying to you

Take your time

If I'm lying to you

I know that you'll find 

That you believe me

Take my hand 

And if I'm lying to you

I'll always be alone

If I'm lying to you

Take your time

If I'm lying to you

I know that you'll find 

That you believe me

You believe me

You believe me

You believe me

You believe me

You believe me

Even after the song ended Neville and Ginny were still dancing lost in their own private melody. Most of the students left shortly after the song was over, but Harry and Lina sat in the corner reveling in the only time that they could be together without anyone suspecting that there was anything between them. They held hands and sat close together. They watched Neville and Ginny dancing.

The other Second-Generation Marauders sat down with Harry and Lina waiting for Neville and Ginny to finish dancing. After a few minutes, Ron got up and said, "I can't take this any more! I know that he is part of our group, but she is my sister."

Hermione caught his arm as he started walking away. "Ron, you are not going to do anyone any good if you go over there all hot and bothered. This is Neville we're talking about after all! It's not like he is going to do anything inappropriate with her!"

"Yeah, Ron. Sit down!" piped in Fred and George. 

"You're right, of course. But…"

"We'll just have a little talk with him later in the common room…," said Fred. The twins smiled wickedly. 

"No, you won't," said Hermione dangerously. "He has just started gaining confidence in himself…. You leave him be. Or else…"

The twins frowned because they knew that they couldn't argue with a prefect. But instead they made secret plans to at least put the fear of Merlin into Neville, to keep him from hurting their little sister.

Harry could see that Ron was not going to relax until his sister was safely out of Neville's hands. "Ron, I'll go and let them know that the song is over if you'd like," offered Harry.

Ron nodded and sat back down as Harry got up and walked over to Neville. Harry tapped Neville gently on the shoulder. As if coming out of a trance, Neville looked blankly at Harry. "Erm, Neville the song ended about five minutes ago."

"Oh!" Neville blushed, as did Ginny, and they walked off the dance floor. The others all joined them and they left the hall swiftly. They headed back toward the common room. Harry and Lina separated from the group and went a different way. 

They walked silently knowing that their time with each other was about to end. When they arrived at the portrait hole for Gryffindor, Harry turned to her. "It was great dancing with you tonight. I know that this can't happen again, but thank you for spending this time with me and maybe someday when the situation is different, we will be able to do this again."

Lina nodded in agreement. She brushed her lips softly on his cheek and walked away. Harry watched her until he couldn't see her anymore. He turned and entered the common room and without stopping went up to bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow, dreams of what could not be and nightmares plaguing him the whole night through….


	16. Untimely Visions

__

Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. 

Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

Oxi-Nu –Thank you so much for your comments and compliments!!! I know what you mean about feeble memory! Happens to me all the time!!! lol So it's okay! Review whenever you can!!!! :-D

Tim – My friend!!! I do indeed know what you are talking about! And thank you so very much for your compliments and comments!! Ttyl I hope!!! And that's okay about not reviewing… just review when you can!!! :-D

Inuasha – WELCOME!! Hehehehe… I understand your enthusiasm for Harry to hook up with Lina! Believe me when I say that there is a certain… eventuality to their relationship shall we say.… heheheheheh… But that will not happen right away… I have begun writing a year six and plan on writing a year seven that will follow this year five ff….so you will see this happen over time… but I can assure you that there will be no need for a virus or need to convince my readers not to review!! :-D

Manateegirl524 – Thank you so much for your comments and compliments!!! I'm so glad you liked that chapter!!! And again thank you for letting me know that I was able to affect you with my writing!! You have no idea how much it means to me!!! :-D

Butler – Thank you for your wonderful comments!!! And as for your question… I am currently writing my year six and posting it to the HP.com boards… and I can safely say that Lina is part of that ficcy as well!!! :-D

Jake – HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! LOL!!! You are so funny!! Thank you for the laugh! I needed it tonight! Thank you so much for your wonderful comments and continuing interest!! And yes, I agree that you deserve more… so here it is!!! I hope you enjoyed your cookie!!!! :-D

**__**

CHAPTER SIXTEEN – UNTIMELY VISIONS

Draco barely showed his face, for several days after the ball. He even seemed to be ignoring Snape, who was constantly throwing him daggers. Though even with Snape's spitefulness going toward Draco, the Gryffindors were still his main target, which seemed to really be feeling his wrath, especially Harry, but it spilled over to Neville too. But Draco's problems were definitely not limited to his favorite Professor. Lucy–Ann seemed to be keeping her distance from him as well. 

Not to mention all of the things that Ron, Fred and George (particularly Fred and George) would randomly come up with to humiliate Draco and his cronies, who were still under the influence of the Imperius Potion, every now and again. Though they did notice that after about a week Draco seemed to be fighting the influence of the potion more and more. It took a bit longer for the other two to throw of the effects of the potion. (One particularly funny thing that Fred and George came up with during the first week after the ball was the Draco would crow like a rooster, Crabbe would hiccup, and Goyle would belch loudly every time that Snape said Shrivelfig, which was quite a lot that particular day. Snape actually ended up taking away nearly 100 points from Slytherin that day for interruptions to his class…. Though he also took nearly as much away from Gryffindor, as most of the Gryffindors could not contain their laughter at the situation.) 

But that was not the strangest thing they did…. The strangest thing was that Hermione actually found Draco and his cronies hanging around the library, trying to hide from the ridicule and taunting that they had been getting. They still couldn't understand what had possessed them to do those things in the first place, though Draco thought that somehow Harry had been involved. Why Draco thought that Harry had something to do with it, he no idea. But he vowed revenge on Harry during the Quidditch match, if he could get the team to stop tormenting him long enough to focus on the game and practice.

Inevitably once the laughter of his teammates started, Draco had a hard time bringing them back into focus, at least at first. As the game got closer he used that to his advantage, stating that if the team did not get serious, they were going to lose to Gryffindor. It was the longest two weeks of his life.

Harry, on the other hand, barely noticed the passage of time between the ball and the pending game with Slytherin. With the training for Quidditch increasing and the increasing amount of studying that the Professors felt was necessary to pile on to them, due to the O.W.L.s coming up at the end of the year, Harry had very little time to think about his what had happened on Halloween. Most nights he collapsed into bed without a single thought entering his mind. The only times that he thought about Lina was when he was in her classes, and even then he tried to keep his mind busy with the assignment.

One thing he did decide to do, however, was write to Sirius and tell him about the situation, in a limited way, to ask for his advice. But once he was done with the letter, he put the whole thing away so that he could focus on what was important at the time.

Before he knew it he had gotten back a response to his letter.

__

Harry,

Meet me in the common room by the fire at midnight Friday. Be sure to clear the room.

Sirius

Harry was thankful that he would soon have some answers to what he should do, though he wished that it would not be the night before the big game. 

As the night approached for him to talk to Sirius, his dreams got worse and nightmares plagued his every sleeping moment. Harry knew that, while there was little news on Voldemort in the Daily Prophet, which meant that he was not attacking anyone, that he was really pooling his resources and gathering strength, though what his plans were Harry had no clue. Most mornings he woke with his scar burning and the dream fading from his mind, which made him wear his pin more.

Harry had even had an episode in Divination, where Ron had to keep prodding him, to keep him from slipping into his Oracle mode, much to Professor Trelawney's dismay and disgust. Harry tried even taking the pin off in the middle of class, but found the pain in his scar still too unbearable without it.

The dreary rain filled days were not helping the attention span of anyone, particularly in History of Magic, the class where most of the students fell asleep to the monotonous droning of the ghost teacher, Professor Binns. Harry found himself dozing and having Nightmares about what was to come. Ron had to wake Harry one time when he started shaking visibly, which was drawing the curious attention of some of the other students. 

Finally, the night before the Quidditch match came and Harry sat dozing in front of the fire just around midnight. Ron had helped clear the Common Room for Harry and stuck around to help Harry stay awake until Sirius came. Finally at exactly midnight, Ron jabbed Harry in the ribs to wake him. Harry opened his eyes and looked around questioningly. Ron pointed at the fire and got up and left. Harry looked at the fire and jumped, he had almost forgotten why he had been sitting there in the first place. 

Sirius' head was sitting there. Harry smiled. It was good to see his Godfather again and looking in such good health. Sirius asked, "So what do you need to know about relationships, Harry? Not that I'm going to be very good at helping you with that since the first and only real relationship that I had went bust before I even graduated from Hogwarts." Sirius got a very far away, sad look in his eyes.

Harry's face fell. He didn't know why he had thought any different, after all Sirius had been in Azkaban for twelve years and since he had been out he had been on the run. Slightly discouraged, but curiously remembering the girl he had seen his Godfather with in his trip to the past, Harry asked, "What happened? It seemed like you were both very much in love…"

"How do you know that?" asked Sirius dangerously.

"Erm…. Well it just seemed that way, by the look on your face." Harry didn't want to reveal to his Godfather about his brief excursion to the past just yet.

"Oh… well…. Yes, we were in love…. But something happened in our last year at Hogwarts and her father forbade me from seeing her again. I tried to see her to find out what I had done to make her father so mad at me, but she refused to tell me anything, except that her father had decided to go back to the traditions of her ancestors."

"What did that mean?"

"That he was going to marry her off to an old wizarding family from her old country. I never saw her again after that…. But, we are not here to talk about my doomed love life. We are here to talk about yours…. So, I know that Lina is someone that you feel drawn to and that she feels the same about you, but that neither of you feel right about pursuing a relationship, right now…. That's okay you know. You are only 15. You have the rest of your life ahead of you." 

"True, but…. Well, you know only half of the story, Sirius. I only told you what was important, but my relationship with Lina is… erm… a bit complicated…. But maybe I shouldn't have even bothered you with it so…"

"Harry, you are not bothering me. If you need some advice then, I'm here for you…. Now, tell me exactly how your relationship with her is complicated."

"Sirius, I'm fooling myself if I think that there ever will be a relationship between Lina and me."

"Why?"

"Because she is older than I am."

A look of horror spread over Sirius's face. "H-having an older girlfriend is okay Harry, but…. H-how much older is she?"

"Does that matter?"

"Yes, it does! Actually, no, but…. Oh, please, just tell me."

Harry swallowed hard and built up the courage to explain what he didn't tell his Godfather before. "Well, she's seven years older than me. She – She's a professor here."

Sirius swore and his head disappeared momentarily. Harry felt he had just opened up a huge can of worms that he should never have opened. Harry put his head in his hands, and tried to settle his squirming insides. He felt he should not have said anything.

"Harry, can you look up, please?"

Harry jumped and looked back at the flame, where both Sirius and Remus' heads were now resting.

"Harry, I'm sorry," Sirius began. "You just surprised me with that. It's okay to like someone that much older than you, in fact I'd say that you were probably right when you wrote saying that you are meant to be together."

"But we can't be together. She's my professor!" hissed Harry.

"Harry there are things that are sometimes beyond our control. I think this is one of those things."

"I don't understand."

"I know, but you will with time."

Remus spoke up. "Harry, do you still have that album that I sent you for your birthday?"

"Yes," said Harry slowly.

"When you have the time, you need to really look through it. There are some things in there that will help you to understand what Sirius means."

"But…"

"No buts, Harry," said Sirius. "I can't give you more of an explanation than what I already have. You must discover this on your own, but if you have any questions that the album doesn't answer, then by all means go to Dumbledore. He can help you with your questions far better than Remus or I could. Now, I know that your first Quidditch game of the season is tomorrow and that it is against Slytherin. So, off to bed with you and get some sleep. You'll need it with Malfoy as the new Captain of the Slytherin team. Don't worry, Harry. Things will all become clear with time."

Harry nodded and watched as the two disappeared. He sat for a few minutes trying to wrap his mind around what Sirius had just told him, and then headed up to bed. He lay in his bed for some time before he finally drifted off to an unsettled slumber.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry woke with a start as Ron shook him at the crack of dawn. Harry blinked at Ron blankly.

"Harry, you need to wake up. The game starts in a couple of hours. We need to get the rest of the team up and get down to breakfast."

Harry sat up groggily. He knew that Ron was excited about playing in his first game, but he had hoped for a little more sleep. Harry got up and went to the shower. Still half asleep, Harry turned on the water. Surprisingly no water came out of the tap. Confused, Harry stepped in and looked up in the tap. He shook his head and turned around to get out and try another shower, when the water, ice cold, poured out all over him. Harry yelled and turned around to see….

"Peeves!"

Peeves was laughing hysterically. Through his laughter he said, "You should see yourself." Then turning very serious, he began to sing, "_Potty is all wet. Potty is all set… for the day. So he can go and play. And against Slytherin, he won't win_." Seeing the look on Harry's face, he knew it was time to go. Cackling, clutching his stomach, and pointing at Harry, he floated off in an almost drunken manner through the ceiling. 

Harry now soaked to the bone and shivering from the cold water got out and peeled off his pajamas. He turned the water to warm and climbed back in, now completely awake. When Harry got back to the room to change into his robes, Ron said, "What happened to you, mate? I just saw Peeves flying down the corridor, laughing, and singing something about you." 

Harry looked at Ron and sighed, as he explained what had happened. Ron stifled a laugh, causing a dangerous look from Harry to be passed his way. They got the rest of the team up and headed for breakfast. As they walked, Harry noticed that it seemed to be an unseasonably warm day, and with the recent rains, the air seemed soggy to the point of being almost oppressive. It almost made Harry feel drowsy as he passed by the open windows, but he shook it off and kept going.

They were the first to the Great Hall. As they sat there munching on their breakfast, most of them looked as if they were dozing and yawning, having all been woken up by an excited Ron far too early for any of their liking. 

Ron was the only one who was completely wide-awake. Harry could tell he was nervous. He had barely touched the food on his plate.

"Ron, you need to eat. You'll need your strength today," said Hermione as she arrived, sitting down next to her boyfriend.

Ron just shook his head, afraid even to open his mouth to speak. His stomach felt very much like it did back in second year when, with a broken wand, he had tried to curse Malfoy for calling Hermione a Mudblood and the spell backfired on him, causing him to burp slugs for the rest of the day. 

The time had finally come when they were to get ready.

Harry picked up his Firebolt and got up to leave. The rest of the team followed suit. By the time that they got to the locker room Harry too was feeling a bit squirmy in the belly. As they changed into the scarlet robes, Harry felt that it was a somewhat ominous sign that his scar was burning. 

He had put the Phoenix pin on earlier that morning, as he did every morning lately. The dreams had been getting worse and he always woke up with pain in his scar that lasted for most of the day. He took the pin and put it on his Quidditch robes, instantly the pain disappeared.

He walked to the front of the room with Angelina. He had sat in this room so many times before, but never from the vantage point that he was now seeing. He glanced at Angelina, who also appeared as nervous as he felt. Words seemed to escape her. He looked at the five people sitting in front of him and suddenly something inside of him took over.

"I know that you have all put your faith in us as your new captains to prepare you for this match. You know that the Slytherins will play dirty, dirtier than they ever have before, I'd imagine. But I feel confident in your abilities. We are a strong team. I'd even go so far as to say that we are the best team that the school has seen for a while. We are all experienced," Harry looked about the room and noticed that Ron was shaking his head vehemently. Looking directly into his best friend's eyes, he said, "Yes, even you Ron. You may have never played Quidditch on a school team, but you've played with your brothers and me. And believe it or not those games were almost as tough, if not tougher, than any game that has yet been played here. I have confidence in all of you. I know we are going to win." Harry said all of this with a confidence that emerged from some unknown source. Taking a deep breath to try to take in some of the confidence that he exuded, he said, "It's time. Good luck, to all of you."

Harry felt in awe of what had spilt from his own lips. Up until right before he gave the speech he had not known what to say to the team, but now that he had said it, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to have spoken. "Do have anything to add, Angelina?" 

She looked at Harry, smiled, and shook her head. They grabbed their brooms, signaling that the time had come for them to go. Harry and Angelina nodded at each other and lead their team out to the pitch. The muggy day seemed warmer on the pitch underneath the scorching sun. The perfume of the grass on top of the heat was making Harry's head swim a bit, but he thought that once he was in the air that would change.

The Slytherin and Gryffindor teams met in the Central Circle of the field, surrounding Madam Hooch, the gray-haired, yellow-eyed witch, who both taught the flying lessons and refereed every Quidditch game. "Now, I know that both teams have new Captains, but the rules haven't changed. I want a nice fair game, from all of you." She looked directly at Draco and the Slytherins first. Then at Harry and Angelina and the rest of the Gryffindor team. "Captains shake hands." 

First Angelina shook Draco's hand, then Harry. "What were you afraid to face me all alone as captain? Or did you have to get a partner, cause you weren't smart enough to figure out all the rules of the game all by yourself?" hissed Draco under his breath as he squeezed Harry's hand tightly. Harry glared at Draco with disgust spilling from his eyes, while he too squeezed Draco's hand hard. It almost seemed, just before they let go, that Draco flinched. 

"Mount your brooms."

They all clambered onto their brooms, as Madam Hooch kicked open the box with the balls. The Bludgers and the Snitch took off into the sky. She threw the Quaffle into the air as she gave a loud blast on her silver whistle, which got lost in the roar of the crowd. 

Fifteen brooms rose swiftly high into the air. Harry felt the thrill of being in the air and what little nerves had been bothering him had gone away the moment the speeding air had touched his face. He sped off searching for the Snitch, Malfoy hot on his trail.

"One of Gryffindor's new co-captains, Angelina Johnson, has taken the Quaffle," shouted Lee Jordan, the Weasley twin's friend and announcer of the game, through the magical megaphone. "She passes it to Bell – back to Johnson – to Spinnet – WHOA – that was a close call with a Bludger for Spinnet – nice save Fred – Spinnet is nearing the goal AND SHE SC- NO! – Warrington from behind hits the Quaffle from Spinnet's grasp as she goes to score – Montague passes back to Warrington, Slytherin in possession – he rips up the field – SOMEBODY STOP HIM, HE'S GOING TO SCORE! – What? – WOW!!! WHAT A SAVE FROM KEEPER RON WEASLEY, USING THE DIFFICULT, but not recommended, MOVE STARFISH AND STICK! WHAT A FIRST SAVE FOR OUR NEW KEEPER!"

Ron, who was hanging onto his broom with one hand and one foot, had stretched out to catch the Quaffle one handed. As he got back up on his broom, he felt a blast of adrenaline as he heard the crowd on the Gryffindor side of the field chant his name. He smiled broadly as he passed the Quaffle back to Angelina.

"Gryffindor in possession – Johnson zigzagging up the field to avoid the charging Slytherins – Johnson flies upward to get away – but – OH! – Great move by Johnson as she passed the Quaffle down to a waiting Bell – Bell is within reach of the goal and – YES! SHE SCORES! TEN–ZERO GRIFFINDOR!! WAIT!!! It seems the Seekers have already caught sight of the snitch!" Jordan stopped speaking because there was so much happening at once that he wasn't even sure what to report first.

The Slytherins were charging up the field toward Ron. Passing the Quaffle back and forth, using the arrowhead formation to try and intimidate Ron. But Ron stood his ground waiting for them to strike.

After she scored, Katie flipped in the air as she moved out of the scoring area, trying to concentrate on the game as the Slytherins were in possession of the Quaffle. She completely missed Slytherin Beater Derrick hitting a Bludger at her head. The force of the hit from the Bludger sent her clean off her broom and spiraling to the ground.

Harry high above the game had been listening to the commentary, while searching for the Snitch. He grew excited when he heard about Ron's great save and Katie's goal. But just as Katie had scored, he noticed the Snitch. He went after it, with Draco hot on his tail. Right in front of him, though he watched in horror as Katie was knocked of her broom by the Bludger. Harry felt he needed to help her, but that he also needed to catch the Snitch. A moment seemed like an eternity while he made the decision. At last, in that eternal split second, he made his decision…

"Slytherin still in possession of the Quaffle – trying to use an intimidation tactic with our Keeper – WOW! Great move by our Chaser and Co-captain, the very beautiful Angelina – Gryffindor now in possession – She passes the Quaffle to Spinnet – Spinnet speeding up the field – OH! Great swerve around Montague, but he still managed to steal the Quaffle – and – WHAT IS POTTER DOING?" Lee Jordan had finally found his voice again.

Seeing that the Bludger was heading directly for the Snitch, Harry hoped it would make the Snitch disappear again as he made a dive for the now unconscious Katie, who was plummeting 50 feet to the ground. Harry also hoped that Draco, being behind him, would not see that he was not going for the Snitch but for his teammate. Luckily Draco followed him, but only part way down. When Draco realized what Harry was doing he flew back up to look around for the tiny golden ball. 

Somewhere above him Harry heard, Madam Hooch's whistle blow. Harry put on the speed catching up to Katie. He was afraid he wasn't going to get to her in time, but at the last moment he managed to pull out his wand. "Wingardium Leviosa!" He slowly and gently levitated her to the ground.

"WHAT A SAVE BY OUR SEEKER!! Looks like we need Madam Pomfrey on the field. Alicia will take the penalty shot for the unconscious Katie Bell – Come on, Alicia!" The crowd went silent waiting in anticipation of what would happen. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE SLYTHERIN KEEPER! TWENTY–ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!" The crowd roared at the Gryffindor end of the field. 

Even at ten feet above the ground, Harry had quickly become overwhelmed by the sweet perfume of the grass and felt his head start to swim again. He had quickly shot up into the sky again. As he did he had looked up to where the Snitch had been and was pleased to see that he had been right about the Snitch disappearing after the Bludger. Harry had pulled up the level with Draco and was relieved to see him still searching, just as Alicia had put the Quaffle through the hoop, for the penalty shot.

"Slytherin in possession, using the same arrowhead formation as before to intimidate the Gryffindor Keeper – They are ripping up the field – Ron Weasley is standing his ground – WHAT? – THAT WAS ILLEGAL! THOSE DIRTY, ROTTEN, CHEATING –" Madam Hooch's whistle blew.

"Jordan!" Normally Professor McGonagall would have scolded Lee more for what he said, being that he should be commentating in an unbiased way, but she knew that he was right. 

"Well, it's true, Professor!"

Ron had watched the three chasers come at him again in the arrow formation. He stood his ground watching the chaser with the Quaffle. As they got nearer to the scoring area, he prepared himself for whatever Montague, who had the Quaffle, would do. His eyes firmly on the one Chaser, he didn't notice that the other two chasers, who had separated from Montague moments before crossing into the scoring area, too had crossed into the scoring area. From behind, they grabbed Ron and slammed him into one of the goal posts. They pinned him there, and continued to slam his head against the pole until he was barely conscious. Madam Hooch's whistle blew just before the Quaffle passed through the hoop.

Harry found it very hard to focus and concentrate as he continued his search for the Snitch and he listened to the commentary from Lee Jordan. When he realized what the Slytherin Chasers had done to Ron, Harry turned on Draco and gave him an evil look.

"What's the matter, scar-head? Are you going to cry now that two of your team members are out of the game, due to injury?"

Harry gritted his teeth and was about to charge at Malfoy, when he heard a Bludger being hit toward them. Harry spun in the air, narrowly avoiding the Bludger that had been hit toward him by Derrick. The Bludger flew right at Draco, who also spun to avoid being hit, just as Madam Hooch came tearing up the field toward Malfoy. 

"This is a warning, Malfoy! Any more illegal stunts like that one and your team will be disqualified for the rest of the season. Do I make myself clear?" said Madam Hooch in a dangerous tone. 

Malfoy simply nodded, rolling his eyes the moment she had turned her back on him. 

Madam Hooch returned to the Central Circle of the field and blew her whistle to start the game again.

"Angelina to take the penalty for the injured Gryffindor Keeper, who seems to be determined to still play. What an amazing new Keeper Gryffindor has." The silence was deafening as Harry continued to look for the Snitch and Angelina took the shot for Ron. "YES! THIRTY–ZERO! TAKE THAT YOU SLIMY–"

"JORDAN!" 

"Sorry, Professor, but you know I'm right." She didn't disagree with him.

"Slytherin in possession – no Gryffindor – no Slytherin – OH! THAT HAD TO HURT!"

Angelina had gone to grab the Quaffle back from Warrington and had been hit in the side with a Bludger that had been hit by both Beaters at the same time. She clutched her side.

"Slytherin heading for the goal – NO! THEY MANAGED TO GET THE QUAFFLE PAST THE INJURED GRYFFINDOR KEEPER! Thirty–Ten to Gryffindor! – That's okay, Ron. We understand! – This is turning out to be one of the dirtiest games played in the history of Hogwarts –"

Harry looked through a growing fog in his mind to find the Snitch. With a jolt he saw it near the ground by the Slytherin goal posts. He looked to see if Malfoy had seen it yet. To his great satisfaction, he noticed that Malfoy had not.

He put a determined look on his face and dove straight down toward the ground. Malfoy, thinking Harry had seen the snitch, followed him.

"It seems the Seekers have seen the Snitch!"

Harry continued to dive, hoping Draco would fall for the Wronski Feint, but Draco pulled out seeing what Harry was doing. He glanced back as he pulled out of the dive and noticed that Malfoy was looking at the Slytherin goal posts, with a look of satisfaction on his face. Horrified, Harry knew that Malfoy had seen the Snitch. Malfoy smirked at Harry and then took off after the Snitch. Harry took off after him.

"No, perhaps they haven't – Potter was attempting to deceive Malfoy with a spectacular dive – But wait – Yes, they have seen the Snitch – The two Seekers are rocketing toward the Slytherin goal posts, at break-neck speeds near the ground – They are neck and neck – this going to be a close one –"

Harry just started to pull ahead, when being so close to the ground, the perfume from the grass once again started causing his head to swim. Because it had happened so often to him lately, Harry realized what the warm sensation in his scar and the leery feeling in his heart meant…. He was about to have a vision. _Please not now!_ he begged his mind. _Just let me get the Snitch, please!_

The edges of his vision started darkening. He felt his mind closing in on him. He began losing ground to Malfoy. Harry reached out his hand to grab the snitch. And just as they reached where the Snitch was, it took off up into the air. 

Harry turned to go after it. Malfoy was on his tail now since the Nimbus 2001 wasn't able to corner as easily as Harry's Firebolt. Unfortunately, even the height that they were flying now wasn't enough to stop the vision from coming. Harry put on a burst of speed and lurched forward to try to grab the Snitch. The darkness overtook him. But the last thought in Harry's mind as he fell was the question, _Did I catch the Snitch?_….

Harry found himself in the room with Dumbledore and all of the others again. Amelia, Arabella, and Hagrid were back and sitting at the table again, with everyone else that had been there the last time Harry was. Down the left side of the table were Neville, with his parents' spirits still standing behind him, though they seemed more solid than they did before, Lupin, Nicholas, Sirius, Cho, Arabella, Amelia, Professor Fletcher, and Snape. Down the right of the long oval table were Lina, Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Charlie, Bill, and Percy. 

Dumbledore sat at the head of the table with Fawkes, Hedwig, Crookshanks, and Mrs. Norris. Dumbledore was still stroking both cats with a knowing smile on his face. The cats got up and stretched. They climbed onto the table and stood right in front of Harry on the table. They sat there for several minutes, almost trying to reassure him that everything would be all right and that he needed to trust the headmaster, before they returned to Dumbledore's lap where they purred after settling down on his lap again.

Suddenly the sword was again in front of him with the hilt toward him. Harry's arm was straight out, as if he were still trying to catch the snitch. His hand was touching the hilt. It felt warm and like it was right for him to take the sword. But still uncertain if it were the right thing to do, he started trying to pull his hand back from the hilt.

Seeing Harry's struggle to figure out what was the right thing to do, Dumbledore spoke to him, "Harry, you must take this sword. It is part of who you are…. It is part of what you are to become…."

"Why?" asked Harry.

"I cannot explain it to you now. You must trust me. It is part of you, so you must claim it. You will not feel complete until you do…. Remember what I said to you after you returned from the Chamber of Secrets nearly two and a half years ago about the choices we make. You must make this choice for yourself."

"But sir, I've already refused the sword three times, because I wasn't sure that it was the right decision…."

"Actually, it was only two times that you refused it…." Seeing Harry's confused look Dumbledore elaborated. "The third time that you remember refusing, you really didn't refuse at all. You ran out of air and needed to return to your body or drown in the process. That time you had been about to take it. Also on some level, you have not entirely rejected it, because if you had, the sword would not be summoning you to it again. That is why it is so vital that you take the sword now. You must understand this, Harry. This is your last time the sword will be offered to you…. If you do not take it, it will fall into the wrong hands. You are its only protector…. Only you can wield it among those sitting here."

"I don't understand."

"All will be revealed to you soon, Harry. All that I can tell you right now is that you must take it, and if you do not, then all hope for the world is lost."

Harry suddenly felt very heavy. He flopped into the chair that he somehow knew was behind him. All eyes at the table were upon him, waiting to see what he would do….

Harry looked at the sword hanging in front of him and realized that Dumbledore would never steer him wrong, but he was still uncertain about it. After a few more minutes, just as he was about to get up and present the room with his decision, he watched Hedwig and Fawkes fly over to his chair. And Crookshanks and Mrs. Norris got off of Dumbledore's lap and jumped onto the table. They walked over in front of Harry and sat at the edge of the table. They both tilted their heads to the side and looked at Harry deep in the eyes.

Harry suddenly heard Fawkes sing a note the quavered in the air, making Harry relax. Harry closed his eyes, unwillingly, and heard a voice that he recognized.

"Harry, we are here. I know that you have wondered why we haven't shown ourselves here to support you. But we have been here all along, just not where you can see us," said his mother. "Feel us there in your heart, where we always reside. And know that you must fulfill your destiny. You must take your place at the head of this table…. Please take the sword. We will help you learn how to wield it properly. As your father has wielded it before you, and his father before him.… I fear that I have said too much…."

Harry's eyes shot open. He got up from his seat slowly and cautiously reached his hand out….

He slowly slid his hand around the hilt of the sword, accepting that he was now it's guardian. A bright white light filled the room that kept intensifying until Harry had to shut his eyes from the brightness…. 

Finally from beneath his eyelids he saw the light disappear. He opened his eyes to see what had happened….

At first he couldn't see much of anything. He realized that it must be because his glasses were not on. He moved to grab them off of his nightstand, thinking that the whole thing had just been one very bad dream. The moment that he tried to move pain filled his entire body. He yelled out. His ears were ringing, but above the ringing he could hear a faint sound.

"HARRY!" yelled Angelina as she appeared above him on her broom. She landed next to him, and got off. She dropped on the ground next to him. "Harry, are you okay?"

Harry tried to lift his head. Again pain shot throughout his body. 

"Don't move, Mr. Potter," came the voice of Madam Pomfrey as her head came into view. She took out her wand and muttered something that Harry couldn't hear. Suddenly he felt everything in his body snap and move into place, even the ringing in his ears stopped. He sat up and realized that his Firebolt was hovering right next to him. The rest of the team, minus Katie who was already in the hospital wing, plus Hermione, Professor Clovis, Madam Hooch, and Professor Dumbledore, who had the same knowing smile as in his vision, were standing around him with worried looks on their faces. His head was spinning slightly.

"Easy now…"

Harry clutched his head. "I'm fine, just a little dizzy. What happened? What's going on?"

"What do you remember, Mr. Potter?" asked Madam Pomfrey as she moved to Angelina and checked her injury over.

Harry felt suddenly as if his belly were flip-flopping. "Well," he said slowly, "I remember that I was heading for the Snitch…. I remember reaching out for it, and then… blacking out!" He looked at his hands and found them empty. "Did I catch the Snitch…? Please tell me I caught it!!"

Everyone shared a look. "We don't know, Harry…. Ever since you fell… no one has seen the Snitch… anywhere…," said Angelina. 

"What about Malfoy? He was right behind me heading for the Snitch. Did he see where it went?"

"We haven't asked him… but the way he is up there circling the field like a hawk, I'd say that he has no idea where it is."

Harry looked up and watched as Malfoy circled around. He stood up, only to be pushed back down by Madam Pomfrey, "Oh no, you don't, Potter…."

"But Madam Pomfrey, I have to get back in there! I have to catch the Snitch! No one else can catch it without penalty and there is no substitution allowed. My team has already suffered nearly two losses before I ended up here on the ground. I'm fine! Please you have to let me play!"

She looked at the pleading look in his eyes. She looked at the Headmaster who nodded. She sighed. "I swear one of these days you are going to be the death of me, Potter. Go… but I want you in the hospital wing directly after the end of the game whatever the outcome…. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." Harry clambered to his feet again. He was about to climb on his broom, as his team members kicked off back into the air and the others who had come to see if he was alright left the field, when he realized that his shoulder still really hurt. He reached back and felt a lump. Confused, he reached inside his robes and found a cold round ball there. He pulled it out and to his amazement he held the Snitch in his hand! He raised it high into the air as the wings unfurled from the ball and started fluttering again.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!! HARRY POTTER HAD THE SNITCH ALL ALONG!!! GRYFFINDOR WINS THE FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON!!"

All of his team members surrounded him, cheering. Hagrid, Hermione, and Professor Clovis all came and hugged him, though Hagrid's hug was a bit bone crushing. The rest of his team landed and surrounded him. They all were about to whisk him off to the common room for a party when Malfoy landed in front of them, with Madam Hooch.

"You are not going anywhere, you cheater," said Malfoy. 

The team moved away from Harry who looked as if he were about to seriously hurt Malfoy. Harry stepped forward. "How dare _you_ call _me_ a cheater! You are the one who used the illegal moves in the game! Not me!"

Malfoy stepped close to Harry and spoke in a dangerous, low tone, "If I have to go down for cheating, then you are going down for it, too… I saw you pull that Snitch out of the back of your robes… You cheated. You either hold in your hand a fake Snitch or you stuffed it into your robes, either way it's cheating."

Harry gave a look of pure venom to Malfoy. "I did not cheat," said Harry in a low growl.

"That'll be enough to be getting on with, you two. Potter, if you don't mind, I would like to see the Snitch."

Shaking his head he handed it over to Madam Hooch. She inspected it closely. "No, this is most definitely our Snitch, Mr. Malfoy."

"How do you know for sure?"

Madam Hooch gave Malfoy a look of warning. "I have my ways. That is really none of your concern."

"But Madam Hooch, what about the fact that he could have stuffed the Snitch in his robes before he fell? That's illegal isn't it?"

"Actually, Mr. Malfoy, it isn't. If you had read the book Quidditch Through the Ages you would have known first of all that the moves that you and your teammates did this day were illegal, and, second, that what Mr. Potter did, was not."

"But how can that be!! I've never heard of any thing like this being legal!"

"Are you questioning me, Malfoy?"

"N-n-no. I-I-I just wanted to know what the move was called, if it is legal."

"It's called the 'Plumpton Pass' named for Roderick Plumpton from the 1921 Tutshill Tornadoes team. He carelessly swerved and scooped up the Snitch into his sleeve. So you see, it is not illegal," she answered him impatiently. She grabbed his ear and started walking off the field dragging him by the ear, "Now, about your teams illegal moves today…. I think it's high time you got yourself the book and read it!"

The Gryffindors started heading off the field toward the locker rooms. "Party in the common room after we change. Great job today everybody! I'm so proud of all of you. You all gave it your best and I am proud to be on this team!" Harry gave everyone a wide grin, which they all returned. 

"You're pretty good yourself there Captain Potter!" Fred stood and saluted him.

"Right-o. All hail Captains Potter and Johnson," piped in George. They got the whole team going. Harry and Angelina were so embarrassed that they both blushed and shook their heads.

As they left the locker rooms, Fred and George were chanting, "Party, party, party."

Harry was so excited that they had won that he almost forgot something….

"Not so fast, Mr. Potter, Miss Johnson." Harry and Angelina turned to see Madam Pomfrey. "You had better come with me to the Hospital wing right now!"

Harry turned back toward the rest of the team. "Catch up with you later…" 

"No, actually, we want to see how Katie's doing… We'll all go." 

They followed Madam Pomfrey to the Hospital Wing, where she fussed over Harry and checked him over thoroughly. Then she did the same to Angelina. When they were given the okay to leave, Harry asked, "So how is Katie?"

"She is not doing very well at the moment…"

"What do you mean?"

"Potter," Madam Pomfrey began irritatedly, then looking at him realized that he was just concerned for his teammate. "Harry, her skull was broken, where the Bludger hit her head. I had a very hard time healing her, and she has not woken up yet… I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Can I – we see her?"

Madam Pomfrey nodded and pulled back the curtain around her bed. They all crowded around her bed. Katie looked so peaceful. 

"We won today, Katie," Harry said gently, touching her hand. "It would be a shame if you missed the celebration…. You did great today, Katie. Thank you." They all stayed for a short while until Madam Pomfrey shooed them out, but not before promising to let them come back and see her the next day.

They returned to the common room somewhat somberly. They were happy about the win, but were uncertain about the fate of their teammate. They had all hoped for better news. 

When they reached the common room they were greeted with cheers and pats on the back and a party was started. Fred and George disappeared only to return a short while later with lots of goodies in their hands. 

Many recounted the best moves of the game and Ron very much enjoyed his fame and hero worshippers as most of the younger students came to him to ask him how he did certain moves or how he knew that the Slytherins would perform the moves they did. Harry simply sat back and watched the group of younger students run back and forth between all of the Quidditch players. When they finally reached him, Fred and George began with their saluting again, and the gullible first years began saluting him too. Harry simply blushed and laughed, telling the first years that they didn't have to salute him when the twins' backs were turned.

The party, while it lasted for a long time was not as wild and exuberant as usual, until at last around midnight Katie walked into the common room. The team surrounded her with dozens of questions, mostly about how she was feeling and what had happened. She simply laughed and said, "I felt like I was called back from somewhere very far away, when I heard someone say that we had won the game! It was exactly what I needed to hear. I don't know anything more than that. 

"Madam Pomfrey wanted to keep me over night, but I told her that there was no way that I was going to miss the party, so she let me go after checking me over." 

They continued the party in earnest, until Professor McGonagall came in and sent them all to bed at around 2am.


	17. A Visit to Hagrid's

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Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. 

Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

In General – I apologize that I have not uploaded a new chapter for about five days… I lost power and have been ill for the past few days… I am a bit better now… That is why I am here to give you more… I also wanted you to know that I live in the Northeastern US, which is currently getting slammed with a blizzard! So if I do not post again for a while… it is because I have lost power! Again sorry it took me so long to upload this chapter for you!

Butler – Thank you for your wonderful comments!!! L I'm so sorry that the game was confusing! I tried really hard to follow the pattern that JKR does with her games… Oh well… I tried! I guess that's the most important thing right? Hehehe!! I know what you mean about Sirus teasing him… but Sirius has more pressing matters on his mind at the moment!!! ;-D J 

Texasjeanette – WELCOME!! And thank you so much for your wonderful comments and compliments! I'm very glad that you like how I killed but didn't kill Harry! lol!! Well… here is the next chapter! Enjoy! :-D J 

Overlord Mordax – WELCOME! Thank you so much for you comments and compliments!! I'm sorry that you have had to wait for so long for this chapter!! I hope to not disappoint you! I will upload again as soon as I can! :-D J 

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – A VISIT TO HAGRID'S

In the face of the victory against the contemptible tricks of the Slytherin Quidditch team, Harry found that his mind had left behind his last vision, though his dreams had intensified. There were far to many times to count that Harry had narrowly escaped detection by Voldemort. Aside from the dreams, though, life seemed to become a lot easier for Harry.

Outside of potions the week following the game, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had cornered Harry and had said, "You may have won that round, Potter, but don't forget that you are most hated in this class. And because I got another month of detentions added to my punishment, I'm going to make sure that I make your life miserable in the one place that I know that I can."

Harry had glared at Malfoy, but had said nothing, knowing that Malfoy was right. Ron and Hermione, just arriving and seeing what was going on, had come to Harry's side. The six of them had stood there throwing looks of pure venom at each other, for a few seconds before Malfoy had spoken again in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "So, you need you're 'ikle cronies to help you out of this jam? Especiawy, da wittew Muddy Orphan, who can wite me up fow being bad? Ooo, I'm so scared…."

"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron had said, his face growing red as his hair as his anger grew.

"I wasn't talking to you, Weasel. So shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you." Malfoy had then pulled out his wand and had aimed it at Ron's chest

Harry had heard and seen enough. He was about to pull out his wand too, when a commanding voice came from behind him. "Mr. Malfoy, if you do not replace you wand into your cloak where it belongs, there will be another month added to your detention sentence, do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly."

"And who might I ask are you?" asked Millicent Bulstrode, bluntly and rudely.

"I am Professor Fletcher and I am going to be your potions professor, while Professor Snape takes his brief sabbatical. That also means that I will be the temporary head of Slytherin, and I expect each and every one of you, Slytherins, to conduct yourselves with the utmost respectability and responsibility while I am your Head of House. I will not except any of the namby-pamby bickering that you usually do with the Gryffindors. It is childish and immature and I do not except that behavior from anyone." Professor Fletcher's eyes had traveled about the group, but had landed and held Malfoy's gaze, evenly for several seconds. 

Malfoy's jaw had dropped open. 

Harry couldn't believe his luck. He had thought that he might actually be able to look forward to potions under Professor Fletcher's rule.

"Now, let's move into the classroom…. Shall we?"

Harry had been right too. Professor Fletcher did not allow any of the Slytherins get away with anything. Neville almost excelled more than ever in potions, since he did not feel the pressure of Snape looking over his shoulder waiting for him to screw up. 

Blaise Zabini, so frustrated that her own potion was not coming out as well as it usually, because she got a lot of help from Snape, had actually stooped so low as to grab a whole chicken liver and throw it in Neville's cauldron, when Neville's back was turned. Neville had panicked. And even though Professor Fletcher had not witnessed it happening, he had known exactly what had happened and said, without looking up, "Miss Zabini, that is a detention and 100 points from Slytherin for deliberately trying to sabotage another student's potion."

Outraged the other Slytherins had protested.

"That'll be another 50 points for questioning me and my decision to punish someone. Will there be any more protests or shall I continue with class? Now, Miss Zabini, would you please approach?"

Cautiously she approached and shortly thereafter, she went back to her desk with Professor Fletcher, who shook his head in disbelief at the lack of knowledge she seemed to have in the subject.

It had possibly been the best Potions class that any of the Gryffindors could remember.

Even Divination got better for Harry. Even with his pin and ring on, he had not felt any more visions coming on, much to Professor Trelawney's distress.

"How am I ever going to help train you with your visions as an Oracle if you do not allow yourself to have another vision in my presence?" she had spouted exasperatedly one morning.

Harry had just shrugged, but Ron had whispered to him, as she has glided away, "Yeah, right. What does she need to train you in? How you're eyes and scar glow? Or how to speak a prediction? No, wait I've got it now, she wants to train you to be as nutters as she is, wearing outsized specs and continually predicting one person's death until they croak from the sheer boredom with hearing it, so she doesn't feel alone in this world." 

Harry had snorted and tried really hard not to laugh.

All of the other classes, while they were piling on the work to get them prepared for the O.W.L.s at the end of the year, seemed to be going very well too. Even though this made Harry happy, it also gave him a somewhat ominous feeling about what troubles lay ahead, especially with the dreams that were haunting him every night. Harry felt very much like this was the calm before the storm.

At the start of December, Harry finally found a few moments to go down and visit Hagrid at his little hut on the edge of the Dark Forest. Harry would have asked Hermione and Ron to go with him, but they seemed very much wrapped up in each other, again, and Harry didn't want to get in the middle of that. So one quiet Saturday he wrapped himself in his cloak and trudged through the newly fallen snow to Hagrid's hut.

Hagrid swung open the door when he knocked. "Harry! Been wondrin' when yed fin' time to come an' visi' yer old frien'. Come in, I jus' pu' on a po' o' tea."

Harry went in and got settled in one of the huge chairs by the table. Hagrid soon brought over the steaming pot and poured out a large mug of tea for the both of them. "So wha' brings yeh down here withou' Hermione an' Ron? I woulda expected yeh all ter come."

"Well, they are a little wrapped up in something right now." Harry lowered his eyes to the floor.

Hagrid was trying to search Harry for clues as to what would be so important that Ron and Hermione couldn't spend time with their friend. Then the truth of the matter struck him. "Oh…. Well, dat's a shame, dem bein' all wrapped up in demselves an' no' noticin' you were hurtin'."

"That's okay Hagrid… really…. I've already worked through that. I was upset at first, but I think I understand now why they feel the way they do…"

"Oh? Yeh go' anyone yeh're lookin' at den?"

"Yes," said Harry quietly.

Hagrid patted him on the back. "Dat's great, Harry! Who?"

"Actually, it's someone that I can't be with right now…"

"Why?"

Not really wanting to get into the discussion about his love life with the gentle half-giant, Harry just said simply, "Because the time is not right."

Hagrid once again looked at the young man that sat in front of him. He realized that this boy who had been so much, had only begun his hardship. Knowing on some level what every other teacher in the school knew was about to happen to him, Hagrid realized why Harry needed to be isolated at this moment in his life. Hagrid feared what it meant for Harry, though.

Changing the focus from him, Harry asked, "Speaking of love lives…. How are you and Madam Maxime doing?"

Hagrid blushed and a smile grew behind the bushy black beard. "Dunno what yeh're talkin' abou'," said Hagrid airily.

"Well, you must miss her…"

"Yeah, I do. Bu' Olympe's go' her things ter do an' I go' mine. We're hopin' ter get together over da holidays comin' up. We got some things ter discuss."

Harry caught on to the dual meaning of that phrase from the fleeting projected thoughts from Hagrid's mind. "Well, I hope that if there's ever a handfasting ceremony that I'll be invited." Harry chuckled internally at the look of surprise that had passed over Hagrid's face that was quickly replaced with horror, when he realized that Harry must have been able to read his thoughts. Hagrid quickly guarded any important information, pertaining to his assignment he had to do over the summer, not wishing to give away anything.

Harry felt the guard as Hagrid put it up in his mind. "I didn't pry Hagrid, and I won't do that," said Harry looking away. He felt Hagrid relax.

"Yeh're becomin' more like yer father everyday, Harry. He'd be righ' proud o' yeh, he would. I know I am." Hagrid gave Harry a huge smile as Harry looked back at him.

Harry smiled back at Hagrid just as there was a knock on the door. 

"Now who could dat be?" asked Hagrid as he got to his feet and walked to the door….

When he opened the door a familiar voice drifted in. "Hagrid, is Harry here?"

"Yeah. Come in, come in."

In walked Hermione and Ron. "Harry, why didn't you tell us you were coming down here? We would have come with you…," said Hermione slightly exasperated. Ron was nodding his head emphatically.

"I didn't want to disturb you…. You haven't had much time alone lately, with Quidditch and everything…. I knew that you were spending time together. I just needed to get out of the castle, and I hadn't had time to visit Hagrid. I was missing him, so I guess it only seemed logical to me to come here alone."

"Well, you shouldn't have felt that way…." Hermione wore a strange expression that was a cross between anger and worry for Harry. Harry could read her thoughts without even trying anymore. He knew that she again feared that he would have a relapse, where he was upset about them being together. 

"Hermione, I will not have another episode like I did before. I'm not upset… I was just giving you the space that you needed. I was just telling Hagrid a few minutes ago that I understand where you're coming from. Besides… it was getting awfully sickening to watch you two all over each other…." Harry smirked, trying to break the mood. And for the time being it worked.

For some time they laughed and chatted together, as if it were old times, where nothing had changed between them. But that time was short lived and the conversation ended abruptly when a loud roar came from the paddock behind Hagrid's hut.

They all ran to the back door of Hagrid's hut. Hagrid flung open the huge door as if it were nothing more than a mere stick that he had tossed aside. Norbert was standing with his back toward the corner of the paddock closest to the hut. He appeared ready to strike at something.

"Hagrid, I thought we were done with dragons, because Charlie was going to come and get Norbert last week. That is why you cancelled the rest of the classes for this semester, figuring between Norbert leaving and the weather that we wouldn't have class anyway!"

"Charlie said dat he'd never seen Norbert happier…. He said dat I could keep him fer the rest o' da year, s'matter o' fact." Hagrid looked over his massive shoulder at Harry. Harry instantly knew that he had helped that happen for Hagrid. Hagrid smiled broadly beneath his beard at Harry. Harry smiled back.

They all gathered around the door trying to see what was going on. 

"Now, I won'er wha's go' 'im so spooked." Again he looked at Harry.

Harry knew instantly what Hagrid wished for him to do. He wrapped his cloak around him and went out into the garden, toward the paddock.

"What is it Norbert?" asked Harry in Parseltongue.

"There's-s-s-s s-s-s-something s-s-s-sinis-s-s-ster here. It jus-s-s-st pas-s-s-s-ssed into the fores-s-s-st." 

"I don't understand, Norbert. You're not making much sense. What was here and went into the forest?"

"I don't really know what it was-s-s-s. But whatever it was-s-s-s, it was-s-s-s evil, very evil. I've f-f-f-felt it bef-f-f-fore."

"Before?"

"Yes-s-s-s-s. At leas-s-s-st two other times-s-s-s-s s-s-s-sinc-c-c-ce I have been here."

"Are you afraid of it?"

"I f-f-f-fear it, only when my back is-s-s-s-s turned to it. For it knows-s-s-s my weakness-s-s-s-s."

"Is there anything I – we can do about it?"

"Not now…. You are not ready, Harry Potter…. But when you are I will be by your s-s-s-side. Go, now bef-f-f-fore it comes-s-s-s back."

Harry ran back to the hut and explained what Norbert had told him. Hagrid said, "Okay, time's up…. You three had bes' be gettin' back to the castle. But you ain' goin' by yerselves. I'ma takin' yeh. Le's go."

They collected their things and trudged through the snow back toward the castle. Not realizing that a pair of sinister eyes were watching the four of them making their way through the snow from behind the tree line. A deep cackle was emerging from whomever belonged to the eyes, as they watched the next victim, of the Master's plan, head back to the school….

As they walked back to the school Harry felt a chill run up his spine. He knew that the evil presence in the forest was watching them, he could feel it. As they got up to the school entrance, Harry looked back toward the forest and doubled over in pain and collapsed to the ground. The pain was almost as intense as it had been back during the summer when he had felt watched, before he had gotten his pin. Hagrid picked Harry up and carried him into the school. Harry felt his consciousness slipping away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When he opened his eyes he was in a small dark box. He tried to move, but he couldn't. He tried to blink to see anything, but nothing was visible. He pushed hard to try to get out. He was suddenly outside the box and trying to focus on his surroundings, realizing that his glasses were not on his face. He recognized that it was still really dark so he kept moving until he broke through to the bright light. He looked around and was surprised to see where he was.

He was in the middle of a graveyard, the graveyard that he had been in not even a year ago, in fact. It was the graveyard where Voldemort's return had all taken place. He turned around and looked at the familiar headstone, the one that he had been bound to when Wormtail had taken his blood. He saw the name 'Tom Riddle" written on the headstone. But as he hovered there he wondered why he was even there.

Shortly thereafter, he watched as a figure in a cloak came to gravesite and jump on the freshly dug dirt. The same cackle that Harry had heard in the back of his mind, when he had been walking back toward the school, emitted from the figure jumping on the gravesite. Still cackling, the figure stopped jumping. The figure lifted his cloaked head and yelled into the air, "Just you try to get out of this situation, Potter. You don't have the strength. You will not beat the Dark Lord. Just you try and stop him now…. Now that his master plan is in motion." He began to cackle again.

He took out a wand from his cloak and aimed it at the gravestone. Harry's scar started to burn again. The cloaked figure kicked some dirt on the gravestone, as he muttered an incantation and the name and the years on it changed to….

"Noooo!" yelled Harry as he sat bolt upright in bed. He put his head down on his knees for a few moments to collect his thoughts on the vision he had just had. When at last his breathing had slowed and the internal shaking of his body had slowed down, he lifted his head and looked around him. He realized even without his glasses on that he was once again in the Hospital wing. He put on his glasses and saw the worried faces of his two best friends, Hagrid, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor Dumbledore. 

"Why is everyone staring at me?" asked Harry nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just yelled out or took a few moments to calm down.

"Harry, I think that you and I need to have a long chat, but not right now. Right now you need some rest. I believe that I am right in assuming that you have not slept well lately," said Dumbledore.

Harry nodded.

"I need to know exactly what happened today when you visited Hagrid's hut, Harry. Then once you have told me what had happened, you will take some Dreamless Sleep Potion."

Harry looked into the face of his headmaster, sighed, and told Dumbledore everything that he could remember, right up until he had looked out to the forest and doubled over in pain.

"And what happened when you got to the school, when you collapsed?" asked the Headmaster reading Harry's thoughts.

Harry looked right at the Headmaster and projected the images he had seen directly at him, and him only, not wanting the others to worry about what could happen, in the near future.

Dumbledore paled considerably and lost the twinkle in his eyes as Harry continued through the whole of his vision. "I see…. Well, we will have to cross that bridge when we come to it. For right now however, Harry, it is time that you get some good quality sleep. Poppy if you would please give Harry a double dose of the Dreamless Sleep Potion. I fear that one dose will not be enough for him tonight."

Madam Pomfrey left the side of Harry's bed briefly and was back before he really had realized that she was gone. She handed him a goblet with a deep purple fluid in it, deeper than it had been the last time that he had been given it at the end of the last school year. Before he drank it down though he turned to his friends.

"Watch out for each other, while I'm sleeping… please," he said cryptically with an imploring look that none of them could read the thoughts behind. He drank down the thick fluid with just a few gulps and lay back on his pillow, falling into a deep sound sleep within moments

"What did that mean? Do you suppose it has anything to do with the partial prediction he made just before he woke up screaming?" asked Hermione after Harry had slipped into his deep slumber.

Ron shrugged, but looked worriedly at his girlfriend.

Dumbledore left stating he had some thing to check on before dinner, but asked to allow the rest of them to stay until dinner. He left swiftly will only one thought on his mind, _Thank goodness Harry took the sword._

Hagrid sat there with tears in his eyes. He had seen some of what Harry had seen in his vision. Harry had been projecting the vision as he was carrying him to the Hospital wing. He knew that something bad was coming, but he didn't know exactly what or who it was going to happen to. All he knew was that someone was going to die and it would devastate Harry. Hagrid saw that Voldemort was once again going to strike at Harry where he was most vulnerable, at his friends and support. Hagrid knew that it was almost time for the Order of the Phoenix to be reconvened, but he feared that Harry was not ready for it.

Shortly before dinner Hagrid got up, sniffled, and slumped out of the room. Ron and Hermione were determined to sit there and stay by their friend's side for as long as possible. It had been a very tough year for him already and they were not going to give up any more time with him then they had to. They saw the look on his face before he had taken the Dreamless Sleep Potion and knew that the tough times that were behind Harry were not nearly as tough as the one's that were ahead of him.

They sat holding each other, but keeping their thoughts to themselves. Finally, they were escorted out of the hospital wing by an extremely put out Madam Pomfrey, when they should have left nearly an hour before then. They walked in silence to get the last of what was left for dinner, lost completely in their own horrified visions of what was going to happen in the future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Saturday before the end of term came with another trip to Hogsmeade. Hermione and Ron had tried with all their might to convince Harry that he should not go, but Harry would hear nothing of the sort. 

"If you two are going, then so am I." Harry had tried to stick close to his friends for the last month of classes, which was fine with Hermione and Ron because they made it their priority to make sure nothing more happened to him. He, on the other hand, knew that his vision could be carried out at any time and did not want to take any chances.

They knew that the argument to get Harry to stay at the castle was over. They vowed to each other, though, that they would not leave Harry alone as they had done in the last visit to Hogsmeade. They did not really know exactly what was going to happen but the piece of the prediction that Harry had given them before he had woken up in the Hospital wing after his collapse, was enough to make them cautious.

Hermione shuddered as the words echoed in her mind, _"There will be a death that will occur to one of our group, within the next ten fortnights, if the Heir of Slytherin is left to his own devices, unchecked…."_ She hadn't told Harry about what he had said, neither had any one else. But because they knew that Voldemort had always been after him, Hermione and Ron figured that Harry would be the first one that Voldemort would go after, which is why they had tried to convince Harry not to go.

After breakfast they got ready, and took the first set of carriages to Hogsmeade, where they went into all of their usual stores. They did their Christmas shopping while there in the village, and had it sent back to the castle.

They were all extremely leery the whole time they were in Hogsmeade. Harry kept hoping that Ron and Hermione would not ask to go off alone. He did not want to have to let them go off alone, but he knew if they asked he would have to let them. Luckily they asked him to go with them this time.

They walked together down the snowy path, slowly Harry fell behind, not really wanting to intrude on the time that Ron and Hermione needed to have alone together, but wanting to be nearby, just in case he needed to be. Hermione and Ron almost seemed lost in their own world until they reached the edge of the forest and Hermione realized she could not see Harry any more.

"Harry?" she said in an almost panicked voice.

"I'm right here, Hermione. I just wanted to give you and Ron some time alone without me as the third wheel."

"Harry, we don't see you that way at all." Ron nodded in agreement.

"Yes, you do. But you are trying to include me… and for that I thank you." Harry gave them a knowing look, similar to the one that Dumbledore had given her countless times when she asked questions in the prefect meetings. 

They stood talking at the edge of the forest for a while. 

Harry felt they were being watched by the evil presence again and suddenly stopped speaking. He touched his pin, hoping that he would not have another incident like the one that he had had when he walked back to the school from Hagrid's hut.

"Harry, what is it?" asked Ron who had noticed the sudden change in Harry's demeanor.

"We need to get out of here…. Now!" 

They didn't hesitate. They ran all the way back to the village. They decided that they had stood in the cold for long enough and decided on heading into the pub for some warm drinks. As they walked in they were ushered over to sit down with Dean, Neville, Seamus. They all ordered hot butterbeers and began chatting aimlessly about nothing to clear their minds of the intensity that had plagued their lives for the past few weeks.

When the topic of who was going home for Christmas came up, Hermione got very silent and sad. Harry elbowed Ron to get him to see Hermione's expression. Ron saw how close she was to tears. After a few moments, she got up from the table and walked away toward the door. Ron got up and ran after her. 

It wasn't until that moment that Dean, Seamus, and Neville realized something was up. Neville looked at Harry's face and could read his thoughts for once. Neville was surprised to see what resided there. He instantly told the other two to shut up, as Harry got up and followed Hermione and Ron out of the pub.

"What?" they both said incredulously.

"You need to shut up!"

Dean and Seamus looked at Neville in shock and speechless. They had never heard Neville talk like that to anyone before. Finally Seamus found his voice, "Why – when –I mean, Neville! What _has_ gotten into you lately? You've changed!"

"Yes, I have. But that is not really the important thing right now. You need to stop and listen, right now. Over the summer, Hermione's parents were killed and we just were talking about going home for Christmas…"

"Oh," the other two said slowly. Neville then got up and followed the other three out of the pub.

Hermione had run all the way back to the castle on her own, closely followed by Ron, Harry, and Neville. Not too far behind was also the evil that was waiting, watching, wanting to find the right moment to strike….

Harry realizing that he was being followed stopped and waited. He drew his wand. When Neville came around the bend that Harry was waiting just beyond, he almost fell on his but as Harry threw a spell at him. Neville was surprised to find that he made a shield that actually blocked the spell outside of the classroom setting. He smiled to himself but quickly got Harry to stop throwing spells at him by yelling, "Harry it's me, Neville!"

Harry found himself in a state of high awareness. He knew that someone was about to come around the bend. He threw spells before he had even seen who it was and was surprised to see that his spell was blocked. Harry chose a stronger spell from his vast repertoire and was about to throw it when a familiar voice reached his ears. He looked at the person and realized it was Neville. "Sorry, Neville. I guess I'm a little on edge. I thought someone else was following us…"

"That's okay, Harry. I understand."

They were about to walk off when Harry felt it again, as if he were being followed by something evil. Harry put his hand to his pin to make sure it was there and squeezed for reassurance. He didn't want to be caught where he didn't have it, because even though it didn't provide total protection from his scar hurting, it did provide some. 

He realized suddenly that everything seemed to stop, just as it had in the carriage when he had come to school. He looked around and took a few steps. He turned back around a jumped to see himself posed as if he were walking. He remembered that that had happened the last time as well. He looked down at the pin that he still was pressing. He remembered back to the carriage and vaguely remembered that that exact jewel on the pin had looked more pushed in than the jewels when he had been looking down at his body.

Harry realized that he could still sense the evil presence. He ran back up the path toward where he could sense it. He reached it not too far away from them. He couldn't see the face of the cloaked figure, but Harry could tell that this was the presence that he felt. He started toward the figure, he wanted to find out who it was. But just as he took a step toward the figure, he was drawn back into his body. On his way back, though, he noticed that Dean and Seamus were about to catch up to the figure.

Fearing that they were in danger, when he was back in his body, he turned to Neville and told him to get back to the castle and see if Hermione was all right. He ran up the path.

"Harry, wait! Where are you going?" Neville yelled after him.

"Please, Neville, just do as I ask! Protect Hermione and Ron at all costs!" Harry yelled back as he rounded the corner. Neville took off in a flat run toward the castle, as Harry ran as fast as he could back toward Dean and Seamus, hoping against hope that he was in time to save them from any harm that could befall them.

He got to them before he saw anything else. Harry looked around as the other two stopped. "Harry, what is it?" asked Dean nervously. 

"Did you see anyone else on the road here?" asked Harry in a rush.

Dean and Seamus looked confused at each other. "No," said Seamus slowly.

Harry swore.

"Harry, what is it? What's going on?"

"I can't explain now! I have to go!"

Harry took off running once again back in the direction from which he came. _Please let me be in time! _ Harry ran harder and willed himself to get to where Hermione, Ron, and now Neville were. Harry swore to himself again, _Why was I so stupid in not seeing that this was a diversion!_ He willed his body to go faster, and before he realized what was happening he was flying above the trees to where he needed to be. 

From above, Harry could see that twenty feet from Hagrid's hut a fight was going on. Harry could see the cloaked figure trying to get at a very frightened Ron and Hermione, who had their wands drawn. Ron was protecting Hermione at all costs to himself. But perhaps the most amazing thing was the fact that Neville stood his ground between the two parties with his wand drawn. He had a very determined and angry look on his face. Harry could hear him yelling at the cloaked figure, "You will not pass by me! Ron, Hermione, get out of here now! I will protect your back!"

"But…." Ron tried to protest.

"No buts! Just go! Harry asked me to protect you at all costs! And that is exactly what I intend to do! NOW GO!!"

Hermione and Ron began to back away and run.

"Foolish boy!" came the voice from beneath the hood. "It was not one of them that I wanted at this time! It was you! Goodbye Neville Longbottom! This is the end! AVADA KEDAVRA!!" 

Just as Harry reached them the green light emitted from the wand and hit Neville in the chest.

"Noooooooo!" yelled Harry as the figure turned and aimed the wand at Harry. 

"You're next, Potter…."

Harry looked at the body of Neville that had just hit the ground on the other side of the tree they were standing by. He felt an anger grow in him that he had never felt before. Neville had just started to become confident. The dark figure rose the wand in his hand and started shouting the death curse, but Harry would not allow this to happen.

The cloaked figure aimed his wand at Harry's chest. "AVADA…"

"PRIORI INCANTATUM!!!" yelled Harry before the dark figure could finish speaking. He said the spell with such force that the wand released all the spells it had ever cast all at once in a huge ball of light and then exploded. The echo of Neville emerged from the wand and came to Harry's side. 

The dark figure jumped when he realized that his wand was gone. He looked up into Harry's eyes and realized that they were glowing a brilliant green. Fear filled him. He retreated further back into the forest, before Harry had a chance to do anything further to him.

Harry was surprised at the force of the spell, as it had impacted with the other wand. He stood in shock for a few moments and didn't even notice through the smoke that the figure had disappeared. He looked around him for the first time and noticed that he was just inside the edge of the forest. He saw Neville's body on the ground and realized what he had done…. He had sent his friend to his death…. It was all his fault. 

Harry held back the emotions that threatened to take over his entire being. He walked stiff legged to the body of the boy who had been a true friend to him for the past four and a half years. He fell to his knees next to Neville's body.

"It can't be…. It just can't be," whispered Harry. "It's all my fault. Why did I send you to protect Hermione and Ron? It should have been me! This should have been me!" Tears began to drip from his face as they uncontrollably ran down from his eyes.

"Harry, I know that you are upset that this had happened, but if you don't focus you will never learn how to heal me, and we don't have much time," said a calm voice from behind Harry.

Harry jumped and turned around. There he saw the echo of Neville. Confused, angry, and dazed he asked, "Heal you? How can I heal you? You were killed by the Killing Curse!"

"Harry, I know that you are in a confused state of mind, but I need you to focus, just like you did when you flew here…"

"Flew here?" Harry echoed bewildered. 

"Yes, Harry, you are the One True Heir and the only one who can save me."

"But I don't understand…. How do I do that? And how do you know about all of this?"

"How I know is not important. But how you heal me is…. I will not remember any of this when I wake up so you need not even ask me…," said Neville's Echo reading Harry's mind's question. "What you need to do is find the light within your self. Once you are there you will know what to do…" 

Harry closed his eyes and went deep into himself, but he couldn't find his light.

__

"Focus Harry. Or you will not be able to save me in time…," came Neville's voice.

**__**

In time for what? thought Harry.

__

"That is not important."

Harry focused his mind with a renewed determination. If he would be able to save Neville he could right the wrong that he had done to his friend. He pushed deeper and suddenly broke through to a bright light. The peace within it was overwhelming. He felt better than he had ever felt in his entire life. He didn't want to leave, but he knew that he needed to. He brought back with him the knowledge he needed.

Harry opened his eyes. They glowed as if the sun were hitting a brilliant green emerald. He turned his gaze to the body of his friend and muttered repeatedly, "Efficium Anima Recipero." 

Light began to emit from the tips of his fingers as he held them over Neville's body. Harry reached up to the echo of Neville and grabbed a hold of his arm. He touched the arm of Neville's body. Harry slowly brought the echo, or as Harry discovered, the soul of Neville down to his body. Slowly the two merged. 

Once they were merged together Harry collapsed into a heap next to Neville. As his hands fell from Neville's arm, there was a small spot in the shape of a lightning bolt that glowed and faded, leaving a raw, reddish pink looking area on Neville's arm that changed into a shape of a small shield.

Ron and Hermione had run straight to the Headmaster and tried to explain to him what they had seen all at once. Even though, he could not understand their jumbled words, he was able to discern from their thoughts what had transpired. He got to his feet. "Lead the way."

They went as quickly as they could to the edge of the forest twenty feet from Hagrid's hut. They started running when they saw Harry. Light was emitting from his eyes and hands, as he touched Neville's arm. As they reached him, he collapsed. They saw the mark that was left behind on Neville's arm. Hermione and Ron looked at Professor Dumbledore. He nodded at them as if to confirm something that they both had suspected.

Dumbledore conjured a stretcher for each Harry and Neville and brought them back up to the castle, to the Hospital wing. 

Madam Pomfrey greeted them at the door and shook her head. "I thought you promised me that you would try not to be in here that often, Potter. You will most certainly be the death of me one day," she muttered under her breath as she set Harry onto a bed. She looked at her other patient and gasped when she saw the scar on his arm. She looked imploringly at Dumbledore, almost begging him to tell her that what she was suspected was wrong. But instead he nodded his head, confirming her suspicions.

"But how?"

"Evidently, he lied to protect the Head Boy's reputation and position. Either that or he told us that to get into the Order almost twenty years ago. Either way he did so to protect someone that he loved as a brother. For that we can do nothing but commend him."

"But after what he did to them later? How can you say that?"

"Things are not always as they seem, Poppy." He looked over the top of his half moon specs at her. Something seemed to click and she suddenly understood it all.

"But that would mean that…."

"Yes."

"And what I thought about two months ago was…."

"That is correct."

"Oh…." She looked horrified. 

"Did he take the…"

Dumbledore nodded.

She looked back at the boy who was resting on the bed in front of her, with a sad expression. "I fear that we will be seeing a lot more of you in here in the future, Mr. Potter…"

"I believe it is time for him to know the truth. I was hoping to leave it off to the end of the year…. But it is obvious that Voldemort has stepped up his plans… unfortunately that means that we must as well. And truly the one that will suffer in this matter is lying there on that bed."

"And what of Mr. Longbottom?"

"He, too, will be part of this. He has much at stake with the outcome of what is approaching…. They will all be part of it."

"All of them?"

"Yes."

Madam Pomfrey looked around the Hospital wing. "Somehow I suddenly feel as if this room is not going to be big enough for what is coming…," she said half-jokingly.

"You may very well be right…," said Professor Dumbledore, seriously. "But let us hope that you are not."

Hermione and Ron took it all in, every word that was said and implied, every thought that was projected and expressed. And between what they knew for certain and what was left to their imaginations they began to understand what Madam Pomfrey had been horrified about.

Harry stirred on his bed, and they all rushed to his side. He opened his eyes and blinked away the cloud of confusion that had resided in his brain. He realized that what he thought was a dream had in fact been true, when he saw the worried expressions on their faces.

He tried to sit up but found his head was pounding. Professor Dumbledore looked at Madam Pomfrey and she left, returning shortly with a potion that she silently thrust at Harry. Harry drank it down and the pounding pain in his head disappeared.

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, I am afraid that I must ask you to leave now. You may come back to visit Harry tomorrow, but right now I must speak with him."

"Professor, why tomorrow? Why not tonight?" 

"I believe, Mr. Weasley, that Harry will need some extra time to recover tonight. While he may seem fine on the surface, there is much that we do not yet know about what happened today. I think that it would be best if you would allow him the extra time to rest. Barring any complications, Harry will be allowed to leave Hospital tomorrow around midday…" 

Ron wanted to protest more, but Hermione had heard the finality to the tone in Dumbledore's voice and knew the discussion was over. She dragged Ron out of the Hospital and they walked silently, worriedly, back to the common room, where they wrapped themselves up in each other's embrace. 

This was extremely comforting to Hermione who could no longer hold back her emotions. Between the events of the day and the fact that her parents would not be there for the holidays, she completely broke down. Seamus and Dean tried to approach to apologize at one point, but Ron just indicated that it was not a good time to do so. Ron allowed her to cry herself to sleep on his shoulder.

After Madam Pomfrey gave Harry a complete check over, she cleared him to leave, but only for a trip to the headmaster's office. Harry was utterly confused. Professor Dumbledore asked Harry to explain the events of the day, which Harry did to the best of his ability. After Harry finished, Professor Dumbledore sighed and sat back in his chair.

Professor Dumbledore got up suddenly and went to his cabinet. He brought out a familiar shallow stone basin that Harry recognized as the Pensieve. He placed it on the desk in front of his chair, before returning to the cabinet to grab several small boxes. He sat back down at his desk and drew up a chair in the air that dropped next to Harry.

"Harry, please sit down. It is now time that you know the truth…"

"The truth?"

"Harry, I'm going to tell you what I should have told you five years ago…. I'm going to tell you everything…." 

"Everything that I should have told you the day that you returned to Hogwarts, what you were up against…"

"Returned?"

"Harry, please sit down…. This is going to be a very long and difficult conversation. Much of what I am about to tell you will be hard to hear or even to believe, but you must understand that everything that has been done was done for your own protection. There is also much that I do not know about what happened on Halloween night fifteen years ago. But I am getting ahead of myself." Dumbledore motioned for Harry to sit. 

Harry sat down in the chair and breathed a sigh of relief. He had been so confused about what had been happening lately, and finally he was about to get the answers that he was searching for. He actually felt quite nervous about it.

Dumbledore sat for several moments looking at Harry, seemingly trying to figure out where to begin. He looked deep into Harry's eyes and took a breath to begin. "Harry, I know that much has happened over the past few weeks, to make you question who you really are. And these past few hours have been no exception. I cannot promise you that I will be able to answer all of the questions that fill your mind. 

"However, you will leave here with all of the knowledge that I possess about why your life is so important, and why Voldemort has tried desperately to destroy you and who you are. So let me start at the beginning…."


	18. The Past and the Future

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Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. 

Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

Manateegirl524 – WOW! We could be neighbors! lol! I ended up with about two feet of heavy wet snow where I am! Took a while to dig out! But anyhow… Thank you for your wonderful comments and compliments and the well wishes! I do in fact feel better, not completely 100% yet, but I'm getting there! :-D

Jake – HAHAHAHAHA!!! You hate my kingdom of cliffies hmmmmm? well then I would definitely NOT SUGGEST that you come and read my year six at harrypotter.com when I'm done uploading this!! Though it will be a while before I get the year six up here! I have truly been dubbed the Princess of Cliffies for a reason…. hehehehehehehe!!! But if you do come to visit my year six on the Harry Potter boards I whoud definitely suggest bringing your own heart paddles! You'll need them! tee hee!! Thank you for your compliments and comments! I hope you enjoy this chapter too! :-D 

Texasjeanette – Thank you so much for your wonderful comments and compliments! Yes I agree that Neville is quite an interesting character… believe me that you will be seeing a bit more of him in the years to follow this… though I haven't completely written those years yet… I am most definitely going to explore his character some more in my future writing! so stay tuned! :-D 

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – THE PAST AND THE FUTURE

"Not many people know the whole story behind what happened to make Slytherin leave the group of Founders, and while I am certain that you are thinking that this has nothing to do with you… it in fact is what brought us to where we are, in the first place. So this is where I shall begin…

__

Several years before Hogwarts was founded, Salazar Slytherin met and fell in love with a witch named Leona Leonard, who seemed to struggle with her craft. Though every fiber of his being told him not to get involved with her, he did anyway. 

He began to help her, but soon discovered that she had never had any training in magic what so ever. Curious as to why she would not have gotten any proper training from her parents he asked her. What he discovered horrified him. She was a Muggle-born witch. His father had always warned him not to get involved with those types of witches, for they were unpredictable and freaks of nature. His heart broken, he tossed her aside and being very angry that she had not revealed that to him before they had become involved, he destroyed every connection in the wizarding world that she had. Very soon thereafter Slytherin married a woman, Sorcha Steele, who was a pureblood but whom he did not love. 

One day while travelling to meet with the three other witches and wizards that had been chosen to establish a generalized school for the wizarding community with, Godric Gryffindor had found Leona. She was cold and hungry, as it had been some time since she had been left, for reasons she didn't understand, by the only person in the world who had ever been kind to her. 

Gryffindor helped her when no one else would. Seeing how she struggled with her abilities, Gryffindor began to teach her how to use them. Eventually she confided in him about what had happened and why. She did not want any secrets between them as she was starting to have feelings for him. Gryffindor simply embraced her and assured her that nothing would change between them. And though he was younger than she was, they soon fell in love and married, despite the protests of many in their community.

After several years, she flourished under his teachings and became a very strong witch. The school was built and she became a teacher. When she began teaching, a visiting Oracle told of a rift would begin and cause one Founder to leave the group forever. And whose descendents would eventually widen the rift. At first it was not believed, until one day Slytherin, who at first had not recognized Leona, finally did and protested to the others. Gryffindor would hear nothing of it and Slytherin, though unhappy with the situation, bided his time and kept his opinions to himself.

Over time, Gryffindor noticed that there was a steady decline in the number of students that were enrolling in the school. He began to realize that the wizarding community was beginning to die off. More and more pureblooded families were turning up with squibs as children. When his wife had bore one of the strongest witches to be born into the new generation, he realized that what was needed was an infusion of new blood into the community. 

He instantly began eliciting the help of the others to begin a plight to bring those who were Muggle-Born witches and wizards to Hogwarts. Up until that point, none of the other Founders had even thought about those who showed abilities outside of the magical realm. Slytherin was the loudest protester to the idea expressing the same concerns that his father had told him so many years prior. Gryffindor pointed out that his daughter had a mother that was Muggle-Born and that she was a strong witch even at her young age. 

By contrast, Slytherin had a daughter who was nearly a squib, whom he shunned at every chance he could, especially now that he had a son that was a relatively good wizard. All of Slytherin's ranting had fallen on deaf ears, as they could see how strong Gryffindor's daughter was. This began the rift that the Oracle had talked about many years prior. And soon Slytherin left the school, leaving behind his teenage daughter who chose to support the other Founders.

With the first part of the Oracle's prediction proven to be true… Gryffindor believed that he should seek her out and find out what else she had seen….

Dumbledore sat back to let Harry take in what he had just told him.

Harry sat confused. He knew that this all was important to him, Dumbledore had said so, but he really did not understand what the purpose of knowing more about why Slytherin left mattered to him. "Professor…"

"Harry, I know that you do not understand what the importance of this information is yet. But just give it time. There is so much more that we must discuss."

"At this rate we'll be here all night," Harry joked, half-heartedly.

A twinkle entered Dumbledore's eyes for the first time since they had sat down. "You may very well be right."

Harry's mouth dropped open, but no sound came out.

"I believe though that if you would like to finish sooner than that, that we should continue…."

__

Gryffindor found the Oracle after many years searching for her. She unfortunately had died two years prior. As he stood there staring at her grave, he prayed for a way to find out what she knew. But she had had no children, there was no way he could ask them to help him. Suddenly from the clear blue sky he was struck by lightening at the precise moment that he had touched her headstone. 

He was blown off of his feet, but was all right, save two little details, he had the gift of the Oracle's sight and a small lightening shaped scar on his arm. He was able to see everything that the Oracle had seen. He went home and wrote down what he had seen, tucking away his journal for future reference.

He knew that none of his children or his heirs would ever have the Oracle's sight, save one…. That one would lead the victory against the heir of Slytherin, but at a terrible price. He would lose all of those who were dear to him at a young age, he would have to wear his mark of the Oracle visibly on his face, and he would have to live with those who despised and hated who he would become….

Harry sat stunned. After several moments, he found his voice. "Are-are y-you saying that I'm the Heir of Gryffindor?"

"Yes, Harry, but there is so much more to it than that."

"More?" Harry shook his head.

"In order to understand everything that has been happening with you, you must understand where you come from…. But perhaps we should wait until another time to discuss this more…."

"No! I want to understand! I have been in the dark for so long…. Everyone here knows more about me than I do!"

"Perhaps we should leave the rest of the Founders stories for another time…. But we can begin a discussion about your parents. And to help me do this… I have elicited a little help form a couple of sources that you may recognize."

Harry looked at Dumbledore in confusion, as he got up, drew two more chairs in the air, which dropped on either side of Harry, and turned to the door behind him. He opened the door that lead to his inner sanctum and said, "It is alright. We are ready for you now." 

"Are you sure that he is ready for this, Dumbledore?" came a familiar voice that Harry would recognize anywhere. He got up and ran around the desk to see his Godfather standing in the doorway. Behind him stood Lupin. Harry stopped and waited for them to see him.

"We simply no longer have any choice, Sirius. He must be told. You know that this is what was meant to be."

Sirius nodded. Suddenly, they all seemed to notice that Harry was standing there.

"My God, you've grown, Harry…," said Lupin. 

Not knowing exactly what to say, Sirius reached out his hand and Harry took it. He pulled Harry into a hug. "Harry, I'm so sorry that I haven't been there for you…. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, Sirius."

"Not yet…."

"There will not be anything to forgive, Sirius. Everything is as it should be," said Dumbledore.

"I don't entirely accept that."

"I understand your misgivings, Sirius. But this was meant to be long before you and I were thought of…. Now I believe that we are all feeling a bit esurient. So I will make an order to the kitchen and have a tray be brought up to us. If you will excuse me…. I believe you will want a chance to catch up."

Harry went back around the desk and sat down in his seat, putting his head in his hands.

"It's been a very difficult year for you, hasn't it Harry?"

Harry nodded. 

Sirius wrapped an arm around Harry to comfort him. "I'm so sorry that you have to go through this, Harry. I should have told you. We all should have told you. But…."

"Why me?" interrupted Harry. "Why am I the one that has to do all of these things? Why do I have to be the Heir of Gryffindor?"

"Those are all very valid questions, Harry." 

Harry swung around, to see the Headmaster standing in the doorway.

"But I'm afraid that you will not have the answers to those question, until you can find them within yourself. However we must move on. The food shall arrive shortly, so why don't we take the time right now to continue…."

The four of them sat down. The silence that filled the room was deafening. Harry sat anxiously waiting for somebody to say something. He kept looking around the room at the three of them. They all appeared apprehensive about what they were going to tell him.

"It is time for you to understand everything that lead up to your parents death…"

"It was because my father was the Heir of Gryffindor before me, isn't it? Voldemort must have found out about what was foretold by the Oracle. That's why he came after my father and me."

Dumbledore looked at Harry with pride in his twinkling eyes. "Very good, Harry. That is part of it, yes. But let us not get ahead of ourselves…. Let us begin with who your parents were while they attended Hogwarts." Dumbledore looked at Sirius and Lupin. "I cannot tell you much about your parents, Harry. But what I can, I will. The rest you must get from Sirius and Remus.

"Lily Evans and James Potter, were an extraordinary students. They were widely popular both with the students and the teachers alike. They went above and beyond every expectation, possibly the best witch and wizard that had ever passed through these walls, in my time here as Headmaster… until now." Dumbledore muttered the last phrase so quietly that everyone else in the room had not heard it above the snores of the old Headmasters and Headmistresses in the paintings around the room. 

"Your mother was an excellent Charms and Potions student. She discovered and created a few new charms and potions before she had even graduated from Hogwarts. Your father was excellent at Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts. This much I am sure that you already knew. But what you do not know was how involved they became in trying to bring about Voldemort's demise…."

"Dumbledore, must we go any further? I think Harry is too young to have such a burden to be placed upon him," interrupted Sirius suddenly.

"Sirius, you yourself were not much older when you agreed to help James in this manner."

"Yes, but I was young and foolish. I didn't understand what I was undertaking at the time."

"Unfortunately, as I said before… it is out of our hands. Everything that has happened and will happen is beyond our control. The choice was Harry's to make and he made it when he chose to take the sword."

"But he didn't know what it meant then! And it wasn't like it was really a choice for him. You told him that if he didn't take the sword, then all of the world would be lost."

Harry had watched the exchange between Sirius and Dumbledore with growing wariness. This was getting them nowhere. And while he had appreciated the protection of his Godfather and the truthfulness of Dumbledore, he was quickly tiring of the arguing. 

Dumbledore ignored Sirius' last comment and looked at Harry in the eyes. "Harry, we must continue…." He got up and walked to in front of Harry. "But I will again ask you if you are willing to continue being the protector of the sword."

As if in a trance, Harry took out his wand and held it in front of him with both hands on the handle of the wand. Instantly the wand disappeared and in its place was the sword. Harry got to his feet, as did the others. Harry walked around the Headmaster and put the sword down on the desk. Confused they continued to watch as Harry walked back to the chair and sat down again. Again he took out his wand, and again held it in front of him with both hands. And again the sword appeared there.

Harry did this several times, placing the sword all over the room, but each time it reappeared in his hands just after vanishing from where it had been sitting. "As you can see, I am part of the sword, and it is part of me. I cannot put it down and leave it anywhere, nor can it fall into the wrong hands. It will always return to me, because I am its protector. Even if I wished to give it up now, which I don't, I wouldn't be able to."

"Harry, how did you know that the sword would do that?" asked Sirius.

"I didn't. I just allowed it to show me how I could prove to you that I chose to remain its protector."

Harry instinctively looked at Dumbledore, who nodded and again beamed with pride at him. Dumbledore spoke as he moved back to his seat behind his desk. "I believe that it is time to continue. Now, Harry, when your parents were 16 they joined a very secret Order…."

"The Order of the Phoenix," blurted out Harry, though how he knew that he wasn't sure.

Dumbledore sat back startled as much as Harry was that Harry knew the name of the Order. "Yes. And if I might be permitted to talk a bit more about the Founders of Hogwarts, I will explain the origin of the Order." 

Harry nodded. 

"The Order of the Phoenix was established by the three Founders that were left at Hogwarts, when Slytherin had instigated trouble in the community. He had rallied many wizards and witches to support his idea that only pure-bloods were the true witches and wizards. He proposed many barbaric ways to get an 'infusion' of new 'blood' into their community, most of which consisted of raping and, after baring their children, murdering innocent Muggle women. The Order was created to protect the innocent victims."

"But why call it the Order of the Phoenix?" asked Harry.

"For many reasons actually. First, because Gryffindor, who was elected the leader of the Order, had an affinity for Phoenixes. He in fact had a pet Phoenix, and was one of the first wizards who was strong minded enough to train one." 

Fawkes, who had remained silent until then, decided to make his presence known by flapping over and landing on Harry's shoulder and puffing up with pride. "'Lo Fawkes."

"Gryffindor passed the Phoenix down to his daughters and they passed him down and so on."

"Are you saying that Fawkes was the Phoenix that Gryffindor trained?"

"Yes."

"But wouldn't that make you…."

"Yes. I too am an Heir of Gryffindor. However, since I never had any children that survived me, I cannot pass him down through my line. But since you are an Heir of Gryffindor too, I believe that it would be alright if I gave him to you…."

"Me?" Fawkes puffed up more and seemed to settle right down comfortably onto his shoulder.

"Yes. Now, the second reason that Gryffindor named the Order what he did, was because of the very nature of the being. Phoenixes, as you well know, are reborn from their own ashes, which is why Gryffindor chose them, to show that the Order would be resurrected whenever it needed to be to fight against evil."

"Okay. I think I understand now."

"Good. Now, while in this Order, your parents did many things that they are not proud of, but that were necessary to keep the Muggle and Wizarding communities safe. Unfortunately that meant that they were more vulnerable to attack, and that is where Sirius and Remus come in. They were brought in to protect your parents, as well as Pettigrew, whom they implicitly trusted at the time."

"Which we all know now was a huge mistake," muttered Sirius.

"Unfortunately, yes. But they knew the risks and lead the Order very well for three and a half years, until they knew that there were threats upon them. At that time they left the Order and went into hiding, to protect their most important asset…."

"What was that?"

"You, Harry, of course." Dumbledore looked over the top of his glasses at Harry with a twinkle in his eyes. "This, unfortunately, is where I must stop, for the rest of what occurred with regards to your parents, I do not have first hand knowledge of."

"What about the Potions and Charms that you had them develop, Dumbledore? Why didn't you talk about those?" spat Sirius.

"Those I knew nothing about until it was too late," said Dumbledore calmly.

"How could you have not known! You were the head of the Order!"

"That is where you are mistaken, Sirius…. I never lead the Order while you were part of it. James did."

Sirius balked and turned pale. "But that would mean that, James was the one that…."

"Yes."

"Oh. Harry, can you ever forgive me?" Sirius dropped his head into his hands.

"Sirius, I'm not even following what you are talking about! How can I forgive you for something that I don't understand?"

Sirius lifted his head and looked imploringly at Dumbledore, who simply nodded his head. Sirius looked at Harry straight into the eyes and balked again. "I can't do it…. I can't tell you, Harry. I 'm so afraid that you will never forgive me."

Lupin spoke up for the first time since they had been sitting there. "I'll tell him for you…." Sirius nodded and got up. He began to pace the room as Lupin began.

__

Lily and James had just started running the Order and we had just gotten "invitations" to join. We went to every meeting and took very little of what was said seriously, much to James and Lily's discomfort. They knew that we would never be able to take orders from them, due to their age and closeness to us. They seemingly relinquished running the Order to Dumbledore, because with the strength of Voldemort rising at exponential rates they didn't have time to prove themselves to us. So from then on Dumbledore ran the meetings making it seem like to us that he was in charge.

When the Ministry, who had never acknowledged the existence of the Order, approached Dumbledore about developing some new potions and charms to combat Voldemort, Dumbledore referred them to James and Lily. 

They argued for hours about whether or not they should take up the Ministry's request. James was all for it. He knew that Lily was talented and could do it. Lily really wasn't sure if it would work, as she did not believe that she would be able to do it alone. And the only other person that she felt was talented enough to do help her was James arch-rival, Severus Snape.

Though James did not like or trust him, he agreed to Lily's terms. James "invited" Snape into the Order. Unfortunately this brought about Snape developing feelings for Lily and, in our seventh year, attempting to make advances on her, which she did not embrace. Unfortunately Snape did not accept that Lily did not have feelings for him, and he tried to force her to see what was right in front of her face. Luckily Lily escaped before Snape had gone too far. Lily ran to the first person she could find, that was not James in our group of Marauders, because she feared that James would hate her for what had happened. That person happened to be Sirius.

Because Snape had attempted these things with Lily and because he was constantly sneaking around trying to find out what we were up to, Sirius wanted revenge for Lily and his uninformed best friend, hence the trick involving me. Sirius kept it secret from all of us, except Lily whom he had sworn to secrecy. But being the kind person that she was she could not let what was about to happen, happen. So she went to James and told him about the trick that Sirius was playing on Snape, but did not tell him why the trick was being played.

James went and saved Snape just in the nick of time, and because James had saved his life, he owed James a life debt. Snape admitted his guilt to James on the spot and pledged that since he had saved him any way, he would give his life for him. James had no idea what Snape had been talking about and was furious when Lily finally told him. James did not allow Snape to continue working with Lily, but since the initiation to the Order of the Phoenix is a lifetime thing, then he could not kick him out.

A short time later, Snape approached Dumbledore to let him know that he had been accosted by one of Voldemort's Deatheaters to join the Dark Lord. Snape proposed that he become a spy for Dumbledore and the Order, since there was nothing else that he could do. Dumbledore went to James and Lily and told them what Snape proposed and they accepted. 

"I wasn't aware that you knew about all of that," said Sirius quietly.

Lupin looked at Sirius and gave a sad smile.

"Okay, stop. I am completely lost…. How is it that you know all of this?"

"That's something that you will discover over time, Harry. I can't tell you right now."

Harry sighed. _More secrets…,_ he thought. "Alright, but what does this have to do with Sirius? There is not a single thing in here to make me feel like he needs to be forgiven…."

"I'm coming to that, Harry. You needed to understand all of this before I could tell you what had happened."

"Okay," said Harry slowly.

Lupin continued.

__

Snape instantly got himself immersed into the role. He soon became a double agent for Voldemort as well. Much of the information he gathered for Voldemort had to be true, or Voldemort would know that he was a spy for Dumbledore. Dumbledore knew the risks that Snape was taking and allowed him small bits of information to take back to Voldemort. 

Voldemort had begun asking Snape to get certain little bits of information, and because those bits did not seem to go anywhere in Dumbledore's mind, he allowed it. Dumbledore realized too late what they all led to. Unfortunately, the whole of the Potter family was virtually destroyed, because no one had seen the signs. Though they should have know something was not right when a group of deatheaters showed up at the Lily and James' wedding and hand-binding reception, just after most of the guests and family had left.

James and Lily luckily had gone into hiding shortly before it had happened. They had continued to run the Order of the Phoenix until part way through Lily's pregnancy with you, but had heard that a threat was growing against them, so they left the Order.

Unfortunately, Lily's parents had been visiting with James' parents the night that they were attacked. All family members that were in that house that night were killed. James was the only remaining Potter left, save Lily and you. 

Lily and James wanted to attend the funerals of their parents, but Sirius had thought it unwise for them to do so, especially since Lily was pregnant with you, at the time. They mourned the deaths of their parents together, and Lily stopped eating, which was not good since she was just entering her third trimester with you. And because of her distress and lack of eating, one week later she had you, just outside of two months early. The Medi-witch that they had had on call was amazed at how strong you were. But Lily almost died in labor with you. James was understandably very distraught. 

Slowly though Lily came back to her normal health. And as she returned a new anger grew with it. She was determined to bring down Voldemort. She began developing her potions and charms again. Much of her knowledge is what you now are learning in your advanced class, or should I say, your Order of the Phoenix preparatory class.

But that is unimportant right now. What is important is the fact that, once it was discovered that there was a spy amongst the Order, outside of Snape who no longer appeared to be part of the Order, Sirius, Dumbledore and I thought it prudent for Lily and James to be protected further than they were. The Order knew everything about where Lily and James were and what they were doing. So it had to be done carefully, without the Order's knowledge or Lily and James would once again be compromised.

Realizing that I could in fact be the betrayer, Sirius made a split second decision to change himself from being the Secret Keeper. Not out of fear for himself, but so that if they in fact tried to capture the Secret Keeper, then they would go after him instead of Wormtail and Lily and James would still be safe.

Nearly a week after they had gotten the Fidelus Charm put onto them, Snape came to Sirius, because Dumbledore had been in the Ministry in a meeting. He told Sirius that somehow Voldemort had found out where the Potters were and was planning an attack on them, and that the Secret Keeper had betrayed the Potters. At the time Snape did not realize that Sirius was supposed to be the Secret Keeper, but because of the bad blood between Sirius and Snape, Sirius chose not to believe him, believing that Wormtail was incapable of betraying James and Lily.

Just the same he was supposed to check on Wormtail the next night any way, so he decided to wait. When he got to Wormtail's hiding place and found him gone with no struggle, he realized that Snape was telling the truth and he took off to where your parents were living, and found what he dreaded the most, they were dead and Hagrid was taking you, Harry, to Dumbledore.

"I'm so sorry, Harry!" Sirius exclaimed as he broke down for the first time in front of Harry. "I should have listened to Snape! Please forgive me!"

Harry sat silently watching his Godfather with very little emotion showing on his face….

Sirius put his head in his hands, sensing the doom looming on the horizon. He just knew that Harry was not going to forgive him. When Harry's voice entered the room around him, in what seemed like a booming tone to Sirius.

"Sirius…." Harry put his hand onto Sirius' arm, making him jump. 

He looked up into the face of his Godson and watched, horrified and with a sense of utter and complete condemnation, as tears spilt down Harry's cheeks. 

"I know that it was not your fault. As Dumbledore said, it is as it should be. I don't like it, but I have to agree with him. Snape never gave you a reason to trust him, so I completely understand why you didn't listen to him. You probably didn't even know at the time that he was spying for Dumbledore, did you?" 

Sirius shook his head vehemently.

Harry's voice shook as he quietly continued. "Then why should you trust him? You did what you thought was right, and you made a mistake. We are all human. Of course I forgive you."

Sirius grabbed a hold of Harry and held him tight. Together they mourned the loss of Lily and James Potter for several minutes. When they looked up they realized that Dumbledore and Lupin were gone. They had gone into Dumbledore's inner sanctum to give them time to mourn together.

"James was like a brother to me. I never really got the chance to say goodbye to him… or Lily. I ended up in Azkaban before I could…." 

"I know."

There was a pop and a Dobby appeared with a tray full of food. 

"Ah, I see that our dinner is here. Thank you, Dobby," said Dumbledore as he emerged from his room. Dobby put down the tray, walked to Harry, gave him a bone-crushing hug, and disappeared with a snap of his fingers. 

Harry looked at the spot where the small elf had been and shook his head. 

The four of them ate in silence. Each one trapped within the memories of what had happened that fateful night. When they finished eating they sat in an uncomfortable silence for several moments.

"Well, if there is nothing else that needs to be said, then I propose that you should get back to your mission…," said Dumbledore looking at Sirius and Remus.

"Wait!" said Harry as the two men got up to leave. "In my vision when I took the sword, I saw the two of you there…."

"We were," said Lupin. "Because we are part of the Order."

Harry looked questioningly at them. "You mean that you saw me take the sword?"

Dumbledore answered. "Not exactly, Harry. We are all part of the Order so you would naturally see us there, as only the leader would see every member that is and has been part of the Order, at all times in visions. This is how the leader knows if an Order member has been killed, has died naturally, or something tragic had happened to them."

"Okay, but then why did I see the children of some of the Order members?"

"Once someone joins the Order then all of their descendents are shown to the leader as well, especially those descendants of the active members of the Order. So that if the leader chooses to 'invite' them to be part of the Order, he or she will know who they are."

"But then what about Wormtail? You said that he was part of the Order, but I didn't see him in my vision."

"The only time a membership can be deemed invalid is if one turns his or her back on the Order completely. Peter Pettigrew chose the other side. He chose to support Voldemort, therefore he is no longer part of the Order."

"Good. I also saw my own friends in the room at the table."

"You will. Those are the ones that without a doubt you will ask to join the Order."

"I see."

"Now, if there is nothing else…." Dumbledore looked at Harry knowingly. He knew that there was one more burning question that Harry was still anxious to ask.

Sirius, who had sat pondering while Harry had been asking questions about the Order, beat Harry to it, "Harry, you said that you saw some of the children of the active Order members. I happen to know that there are no children, still living anyway, born to the Order members, save you. So who did you see have children?"

"Well, there was Neville Longbottom…."

"Ah, yes I forgot about the Longbottoms. That explains it."

"I wasn't finished."

"Oh? Well who else then?"

Harry's eyes bore right through to Sirius and Lupin's souls, as if he were searching for answers within them. What he found was that if they were fathers they probably knew absolutely nothing about it. "Actually, I want to ask you about it."

"Me?"

"Both of you."

Lupin had been quietly watching amused at Sirius' distress, knowing his reputation back in school. He had always figured that Sirius would have a child out there somewhere. But when Harry had said the both of them, he stood there in shock. There had only ever been one woman that he had loved enough to make love with and he hadn't seen her for more than twelve years. 

He had scared her when he had had a transformation one night. He had luckily run out of her house before the transformation was complete and could maul her. But he never went back, afraid that she would not except him for whom he was.

Harry was amused by the extended silence that had come from the two men standing in front of him.

"I-I-I'm n-not a-a f-f-father," stuttered Lupin, finally. "I can't be." He looked back and forth between Harry and Dumbledore.

"Does the name Enid Drake sound familiar to you?" asked Harry. 

Lupin turned paler than Harry had ever seen him. "Yes," he said almost inaudibly.

"Her son's name is Nicholas, and he is in my advanced class, the only first year to be in it." 

Lupin went to sit down on the chair that was close to him, but missed it completely and ended up on the floor. Shock covered his face. "I always told her that if I ever had a son that I would want to name him Nicholas because it would be my triumph if I had a child."

"He knows why you left, but not who you are. He holds no grudge against you. He just hopes that he will meet you someday."

"What about his mother? Does she still hold a grudge?"

"No, she forgave you the night that you left. She apparently had known all along, but it didn't matter to her. She still loves you, and still cries for you on occasion. Unfortunately she found that she couldn't raise Nicholas on her own, so she married a very nice man, according to Nicholas."

"But… are you sure? He could be somebody else's son."

"He looks just as you did at his age," said Dumbledore supporting Harry. "And he _is_ in his first year. That would be consistent with the last time that you saw her, would it not?" 

Lupin nodded and then sat quietly taking it all in.

Harry got a sudden inspiration. He had totally forgotten about something that would prove that Lupin was Nicholas' father. He plunged his hand into the pocket of his robes praying that it was still there after nearly two months. With luck it was. Harry pulled out a small piece of paper. He opened it up just to be sure, and then handed it to Lupin.

Lupin looked at it and blinked. It read, _My name is Nicholas Rockford and my real father's name is Remus Lupin. _"I thought you said that he didn't know that I was his father…"

"He doesn't. Not really. He wrote that the day that we were working with the Imperius potion, when he was under the influence of the potion."

"How do you know?"

"Because I watched it happen."

"Oh."

Not sure he really wanted to know, but with curiosity getting the better of him, Sirius asked, "Okay, but what about me? I couldn't have been a father. I was in Azkaban for twelve years and have been on the run for the last two. How could I be a father to anyone here? The only woman I was ever with was…. Never mind." Sirius blushed.

This brought Lupin out of his reverie, briefly. "What do you mean the only woman you were ever with? You had a reputation for being a player, while you were here…."

Sirius blushed deeper. "I had that reputation because I had a hard time sticking to dating one girl, but that did not mean that I slept with all of them…. Oh, I can't believe I'm having this conversation in front to my Godson and former Headmaster." He was blushing so deeply, that his face could have blended in with the Gryffindor Quidditch robes. 

"I've been able to pull together a timeline that would correspond to your daughter's birth," said Harry, trying to relieve his Godfather of his embarrassment.

"How? A daughter?"

"Remember when you told me about the first and only real relationship that you had and what happened at the end of your last year here? I assume that she is the one that you…."

"Yes," he said quickly.

"Well, there is a girl here the resembles Sen…"

"How did you know that her name was Sen?"

Harry sat horrified for a moment, he had not wanted to tell Sirius about his trip to the past just yet, but he guessed it was time. "I used the Quill that you gave me for my birthday and I… saw a few things…" 

Sirius turned a violent shade of red again and opened and closed his mouth like a guppy.

When he realized from Sirius' mind what Sirius thought he saw, he too turned red and said, "No. No. No. Nothing like that, honest!" He watched Sirius calm down a bit before continuing. "But she is about a year and a half older than I am, and she is in the advanced class. The only Ravenclaw in the class in fact. Her name is Cho Chang."

Sirius' went ghostly pale. Chang had been the name of the man the Sen was to marry, back when their relationship abruptly ended. He sat down on the floor next to Lupin. They sat there for quite some time, both lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Dumbledore broke the silence. "Well, gentlemen, as much as we enjoy having you here and while I understand your need to allow time to digest what you have just been told, I believe that it is time for you to return to your mission. We can address your questions, in this matter more thoroughly when next we meet. But first, please return to the Shrieking Shack for a good night's rest. You can start the mission fresh tomorrow morning."

"I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight…."

"I will have Madam Pomfrey put together two double batches of Dreamless Sleep potion…. Now if you please, gentlemen, I still have much to discuss with Harry…."

Lupin and Sirius nodded and got to their feet. Sirius turned and gave Harry a smile before he transformed into Snuffles. Lupin left, waving vaguely at Harry and Dumbledore.

"Are they going to be all right?"

"Yes. Now, Harry… I believe that we should continue, as I am sure that you would like to know how you survived the attack."

"Yes."

"Much of what transpired on the night is still a mystery, however I will give you what little knowledge that I possess, once again….

__

As Remus had explained, your mother began creating new potions and charms again after your birth. She had very little success at first until Remus asked her if she had ever heard of anything that could help with his transformations. She had not. She was going to research it, but instead decided to try to develop something for him. As she came up with possibilities for him, she wanted to be able to test it on something else first. So she enlisted the help of your father.

James would transfigure a piece of furniture into a sort of living, breathing copy of Remus. Many of the potions simply made the furniture copy explode in a huge mess. Lily decided that she would develop an antidote to every potion, so that if in fact the copy seemed to be about to explode, she could administer the antidote quickly, as they had begun to run out of furniture. 

This is how she discovered many of the Curse mimicking potions. With each discovery she would bring them to me for testing on a willing participant. But when she came to me with the Potion that mimicked the Avada Kedavra curse, there were not any willing to try, even though they had seen that she had been able to always reverse the effects before. 

Discouraged, she allowed the test to be performed on herself, which was obviously a success, as she was there to save you from Voldemort. She had found the Avada Kedavra Potion at the same time that she had finally discovered the Wolfsbane Potion for Remus, as there is only one ingredient that is different. There were, in fact, several other Potions and Charms that your mother developed. Most of which were never tested to the knowledge of the Order or myself. 

But I digress, these potions that made a Ministry wizard virtually invincible was one half of the reason the Voldemort sought out your family. The other half, as you have already wisely figured out, is because of your heritage…

"Your father, who had been the Head of the Unspeakables Office, because he was also the leader of the Order, until your parents had to go much deeper into hiding, still had some residual amounts of the Potions that your mother created in his system when your parents were attacked. I do not know how that helped him in the battle against Voldemort, but there is someone who does." Dumbledore nodded his head toward the door where Snape was standing.

Harry stood up quickly, almost knocking his chair over. "Professor Snape?"

"That's right, Potter."

"But how would you know?"

"As I'm sure the Headmaster has told you, I was a spy for him and the Order. I had made myself a very useful Deatheater, without killing a single person, at least not directly. For nearly two and a half years I fed Voldemort bits of information that were important to him, but mostly irrelevant. Many a time what I gave him was part of a plot to stop him. That is until the end, when he began asking for bits of, what we thought was, completely useless information. When in fact it was, information that he needed to help him plot against your parents and their families. And because of the 'life debt' that I owed to _your_ _father_, when I found out what Voldemort had planned, I had to stop him. So I was there the night that your parents died saving you. But if you do not wish to hear what happened that night from a first hand source, then I can return to the dungeon where I have far more important things to do."

"No, please!" said Harry anxiously. He hated being at the mercy of Snape, but he didn't have a choice if he wanted to know.

Snape sneered at the idea that he had this much power over a Potter for once. He looked at Harry's anxious face and slowly began to tell him what had happened that night….

__

After I told Black that what I knew and he had pointedly refused to believe me I went to Godric's Hollow, where I then knew your parents were, according to the Secret Keeper. I waited for the whole of the day and night, until near midnight, until I saw a cloaked figure enter the house. I crept to the house from the tree line and watched. Voldemort had begun to fight James. And because of the wretched life debt, I quickly went inside, only to see him get cursed with Crucio and laugh most of it off. Voldemort, disenchanted and enraged by the fight, took a dagger and plunged it into your father's heart. 

As Voldemort moved, I assumed, onto the room where you and your mother were, I went and saved your father's life. We were finally even, until the blasted fool saved my life again. As I got up Voldemort came behind me and stuck his wand in my back. He told me that if I wished to live I was to reveal myself as the spy he knew he had in his organization. I knew I could not reveal who I was or else compromise the mission I was on, so I refused.

Voldemort cursed me on the spot with Crucio and then aimed the Killing curse at me. **Your father** had the audacity to block the curse with his own body, to save me. I assumed it was because of some potion that your mother had created, that he was able to throw off the curse.

Thinking us dead, Voldemort picked up his dagger, went to the room where you and your mother were, and finished off what he had come to do. He tried to bypass your mother and she wouldn't hear of it. She began to beg for your life and protected you at all costs. She refused to stand aside. We watched him having a very difficult time killing mother, as the killing curse didn't work on her either. He took out his dagger and stabbed her in the heart. His strike was swift and true. 

Your father almost faltered with the plan that he had told me he was going to carry out when Voldemort finished what he had set out to do. Before long he reached you, out of our line of vision, he seemed to struggle with the killing curse again. I assume that that was only because your mother must have somehow given you the same potion that she and your father had taken. When he couldn't kill you the way that he wished to he summoned his dagger from your mother's body and used it on you. He waited a long time holding the dagger in you, trying to be sure that you were dead, unlike when he just left your father. 

After a long time, he left the room with a smug expression, believing he had achieved what he had set out to do. But your father surprised Voldemort. He put him in a binding spell and took Voldemort's wand and dagger. I held my wand on Voldemort and watched as your father then ran to where you were out of my line of vision.

From there he carried out the plan that he had told me he was going to do when we were lying in a heap on the floor, waiting for Voldemort to feel that he had completed his task. He took out the dagger, which he realized had a soul-stealing blade. I'm assuming, he extracted your soul from the blade and, with a bit of difficulty, returned it to your body using the spell that I am only presuming you used this afternoon with Mr. Longbottom. Now, it is my understanding that in order for the spell to work he could not move your body. The only spot that he could reach on you was obviously your forehead, thus your scar. I heard you crying. 

Your father picked you up and held you tight as he then preformed the same feat on your mother. He had just finished getting her back into her body and handed you to her when Voldemort got free, grabbed my wand, and stunned me, but not enough to put me out completely, as his main objective was to stop your father. 

When your father realized that Voldemort was free, he ran from the room and shut the door as he muttered something to your mother. He turned and faced Voldemort. "You cannot have my son," said your father in a low dangerous tone. "You will not…"

Voldemort sneered. "You may have escaped death once, Potter, but you won't do it again." They began to duel for a short time. 

Your mother was rocking you in her arms, as your mother threw open the door. She saw what was going on with a horrified look on her face. She screamed at your father, who turned and looked at her.

Your father yelled at your mother to get out with you. Your mother slammed the door and put a locking charm on it. 

Voldemort took advantage of your father's momentary lapse in concentration. He yelled, "Expelliarmus!" His wand flew back to his hands, as did your father's wand. He threw down my wand as well as your father's. He then aimed his wand at your father and performed the killing curse on him again. I watched your father's soul being ripped from his body. Obviously the potion only works if the curse is only performed once on the person who took it. 

I watched your mother turn around as Voldemort blew the door open, his high-pitched laughter filling the tiny room. I watched as your mother muttered something to you. She then turned and started begging for your life once again. 

He once again told her to stand aside, but again she refused. He performed the killing curse on her once again. Your mother screamed and landed on the floor next to you, as the curse had worked on her as well.

Voldemort then aimed his wand at you again. Trying to figure out what I could do to stop it I grabbed my wand that Voldemort had tossed aside. I remembered one of the spells that your mother had developed and used it on him, not remembering completely what the effect of it would do. Voldemort seemed to freeze. Shortly thereafter you crawled over to him and touched him. It was then that his body disintegrated and his soul swiftly left the premises. 

I then realized that the man, whom I despised with all of my existence, was dead and that he had selflessly saved my life. I knew that I owed it to your father, since I had failed to protect him from death to save you. I vowed that day to protect you until you were old enough to protect yourself. Which has become a greater burden than I had ever imagined.

I took you out of the house and destroyed the evidence of what I had done to protect you. I left you on the heap of rubble and instantly went to Dumbledore and told him that your parents were dead, but that you were not. He instantly called Hagrid to collect you and gave me immunity and a job as Assistant Potions Master.

"I've done my part telling you what happened that night to my knowledge. I'm going back to the dungeon where I can finish what I feel is better than this colossal waste of time has been. Good Night." He turned on his heel and started for the door.

"Wait!"

Snape stopped and turned his head to the side so that he could look a Harry out of the corner of his eye. "What is it, Potter?"

Harry took a deep breath and swallowed hard. What he was about to do he never thought he would do. He looked up at the Professor that had shown him nothing but animosity since the day that he began at Hogwarts. "I just wanted to say…. Thank you." The last words almost didn't want to leave his throat, but to see Snape's reaction after he did made it all worth it.

For the first time, he watched as the Potions Master's face briefly softened ever so slightly, then the scowl that he always carried deepened. Snape turned his head toward the door again and stormed out of Dumbledore's office slamming the door behind him.

Harry turned to Dumbledore who was beaming at him. Harry collapsed back into his chair. Dumbledore could tell that the evening had been exhausting to Harry.

"So I'm not the Boy-Who-Lived, after all…. I mean I didn't live through Voldemort's attack, did I?"

"No. It would seem that you did not. However, you did live through the curse and you are still with us, even if you had a little help from your father. So I believe that you are in fact _still_ the Boy-Who-Lived."

Harry sighed and sat quietly trying to digest everything that he had been told.

"I know that you must feel very overwhelmed right now, Harry. However, there is just one more thing that I feel that you should know about."

"What is that?"

"Something that I would imagine you would remember nothing about. There are only six of us that knew the truth about what we affectionately call your 'missing day'."

"Missing day?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand…"

"It was the day between the death of your parents and when we dropped you off at your aunt and uncle's house."

"Oh…. Well, I do know that Arabella came to ask you to put her as my guardian, and you told her that you had already put the Fidelus Charm over my aunt and uncle's house, which, she said, lasts for fifteen years."

"Yes. That did happen, though I must say that I modified the Charm just slightly to last for sixteen years instead of fifteen. I also modified it so that those who wished to find you, with good intentions toward you, would be able to. But again we are getting ahead of ourselves….

"It was just after midnight when Severus found me and told me what had happened. I immediately had Hagrid go out after you. He collected you and brought you here."

"Here? Why?"

"Because we had to make sure that there was nothing wrong with you, after the ordeal that you had been through. We were amazed at how well you had come through it all. At first we thought that you were unscathed, until we found your scar. I spent the rest of the night trying to figure out why that scar seemed so important. Then just before dawn I found it. Instantly I took off to find your aunt and uncle, the only relatives that you had left alive. When I found them I performed the modified Fidelus Charm upon their house and then returned to Hogwarts to give the other Secret Keepers their parts of the secret."

Harry looked confused.

"Harry, you are so important that you have not one but six Secret Keepers. And these are not the only protections that are on you… however, there a far too many too list here. But while I was setting up all of the protection for you, there were two who happily kept you preoccupied while you were awake, though you did sleep a lot."

"Who?"

"Hagrid and Poppy. We kept you here for the day to make sure that no side effect of what you had been through would affect you. And though we had to perform a mild Memory Charm to keep you from crying from the horrible memories, you turned out to be fine. So at midnight, when the Fidelus Charm took effect, we dropped you off at your aunt and uncle's house. Thus ending your 'missing day'."

Harry sat there trying to sort through everything once again.

"Now, I believe that it is time for you to return to the hospital wing and get a bit of Dreamless Sleep potion. I believe that you will need it tonight. However, if you would like to continue another time, or if you have any questions, my door is always open to you."

Harry nodded and thanked him as he numbly got to his feet and made his way back to the Hospital wing, though how he made it there he wasn't sure. Madam Pomfrey was waiting for him at the door with a vial of Dreamless Sleep potion in her hands. 

Harry walked over to the bed that he had been in earlier in the day and changed into his pajamas before drinking down the whole potion in one big gulp. Harry was asleep before his head hit the pillow.


	19. Christmas Revelations

__

Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. 

Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

Athenakitty – WELCOME! I thank you for all the questions… I hope that future chapters will help to clarify anything that you are unsure about! I hope that you are enjoying my ficcy! Oh and if I could just make one little clarification for you…. Remus has a son… not a daughter! :-D

Jake – I'm glad you liked that chapter… and especially that it did not have cliffies lol! I will most certainly put it up on my profile when I am done…. I just hope you realize what you are going to get yourself into! *evil grin* :-D 

Texasjeanette – Thank you so much for your wonderful comments and questions!! I have to say that some of these questions will be answered in this ficcy and some will be answered in the next two! I feel strongly that there will be some things not be answered until the very end! SO stay tuned! Some of what you have asked will be answered in the next few chapters! I honestly can say that some of your questions I had not even considered either!!! So they most definitely helped me to realize some ideas that I must address and soon! tee hee!! Enjoy! *evil grin* Thank you for the well wishes!! I do feel a bit better now! :-D 

Romm – Yes indeed! But they handled it quite well don't you think? lol :-D

Darkpotter1212 – WELCOME! and the addy is on the way! I hope you like the end of the ficcy… though I must admit I have refined it here! But enjoy! :-D

Manateegirl524 – Well in a way we are neighbors! We live on the same coast! I'm a little further north though! I live in south-east Massachusetts! Thanks for your comments and compliments! I'm glad that you are still hooked! Here's the next bit! :-D

Oxi-Nu – Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!! And you're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome! lol! :-D

**__**

CHAPTER NINETEEN – CHRISTMAS REVELATIONS

In the days that followed, Harry was thankful that Dumbledore had waited until the Christmas break had started before telling him everything, for two reasons. One, he didn't have classes to contend with as his mind felt very full up. He thought he could really use a Pensieve of his own right about now. And two, because of the emptiness of the school. He knew that soon enough he would have to answer more questions about what happened than he cared to. 

Neville had returned home, after he got out of the Hospital wing. He had not known how to express his gratitude to Harry for saving his life, so he basically avoided him until he was about to leave, when he squeaked out a little thank you. 

Most days found Harry sitting in the common room in front of the fire staring at the flame. Hermione and Ron were very concerned about him, but left him alone, as Dumbledore had asked them to. But on Christmas Day they just couldn't take it any more. It had appeared to them that he had not moved, nor gone back to his bed at all. They sat around him and he looked up at them briefly.

"Happy Christmas."

"You have not spoken to us for days, and the first thing you say to us is 'Happy Christmas'?" asked Ron indignantly.

"Ron…." said Hermione in a dangerous whisper.

"I'm sorry…. I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Does this have to do with what happened to Neville?"

"Ron…" said Hermione a bit louder this time.

"No. Not really. Well, yes, but no."

"Which one is it, Harry? Yes or no…."

"Ron." Hermione was getting really ticked off that Ron kept ignoring her.

"Both."

Ron scoffed.

"Ron!" screamed Hermione finally being heard. Ron turned and looked at her. "Stop being to irritating. Maybe Harry doesn't feel like talking about what is going on."

"Not right now, but I will. Just give me time…."

"Well, then if your not going to tell us about what is bothering you right now, how about we open some presents!"

Hermione scoffed. "Ron, you're so incorrigible!"

"Why, thank you, sweetie."

Hermione stopped and looked at him. She blushed and then a soft smile spread across her face. _Damn him for knowing me so well that he knows what will make me forget everything else…. That's why I love him so much though!_ thought Hermione

"I think I would like to open those present now," said Harry bringing the couple out of their momentary trance.

They all looked at each other and ran up to their rooms. At the feet of their beds were all their presents were sitting wrapped, begging to be torn open. Harry and Ron sat at the ends of their beds and picked the present from off of the top of their piles. They tore them open only to find…

"Harry! You didn't! This is wicked, mate!" He untangled from the wrapping a Gryffindor colored Quidditch robe that had "Ronald Weasley: Hogwarts' Greatest Keeper" written on the back of it in embroidered gold lettering that glittered like gems when it moved.

Harry smiled as he looked down at the gift in his hands. He was speechless. He picked up the note attached to the present to see who had given it to him. It was from Sirius and Lupin. They had obviously spent a lot of time collecting as much public information on his parents and as they could. 

There were stacks of old newspaper clippings and several books on his family history that had pages mentioning his parents earmarked. There were also two large framed pictures, one of his mother and the other of his father, both smiling up at him with pride on their faces. Harry couldn't help but smile back. He put the pictures up on his nightstand and put the other things that Sirius and Remus had given him on the bed for further inspection later.

Harry looked up and noticed that Ron had almost finished opening all of his presents. In order to catch up to him, Harry started opening his presents with a new ferocity. From Mrs. Weasley was the usual large care package with many mince pies, a pair of socks, and a new sweater, that she had knitted (green with a snitch on the upper left hand side with a QC over it). "QC?"

"Quidditch Co-Captain, mate," said Ron blandly. "Mine has a Quaffle and a QK."

"Oh. Okay." He turned back to the pile and opened most of the rest of the presents quickly. There was a package of several assorted things from Fred and George that came with a warning label on them "New Products developed for the Weasley Wizard Wheezes Company." Harry put the box as far away from him as possible, not knowing if anything in the contents could explode and cause some sort of commotion. He promised himself to take the box down to the common room later to talk to them about the contents. 

The other present's were far less dangerous: the Dursleys reached an all time low with a two inch wide ball of pocket lint; he got a vast box of his favorite treats from Hagrid; a Snitch wrist watch (where there were three tiny Snitches that flew sporadically around the face of the watch and came to a rest on the time when the watch face was held horizontally for five seconds) from Ron that was both water and spell proof; Hermione gave Harry a subscription to _Today's Quidditch International_ Magazine and both Harry and Ron the _Tips for Success on the O.W.L. Tests_ book. They looked at each other and both rolled their eyes and shook their heads at the gift.

Harry and Ron both were down to their last two presents each. Ron sat staring at the small box shaped present in his hand. Harry noticed Ron's hesitance and asked, "You going to open your present there, Ron, or are you going to sit there staring at it?"

Ron seemed to come out of his reverie. "Uh no. It's just that I know Hermione got me this gift 'cause the card says 'From Hermione with All My Love.' But I didn't know she was going to go all out for me…"

"Well, what's wrong with that? She's your girlfriend and you got her a nice present too…"

"Yeah, but I didn't expect anything from her other than the book…"

"Why not? She loves you…"

Ron flushed pink and gave Harry a lopsided grin. "She does, doesn't she," he said breathlessly and sheepishly. He looked back at the present, ripped the paper off, and pulled the box open. "Wow." 

He lifted out of the box a golden chain, at the end of which was a very intricately decorated gold pocket watch. Ron pushed the button to open it. Inside around the edge of the lid was engraved, "If ever in doubt, what we are all about, no need to ask, just do a little task. Open this up, and looking up, you will see, what is meant to be. 'Cause our love, fits like a glove." In the center of the lid was written, "Much love, Hermione." 

Ron came over to Harry's bed and excitedly showed it to him. It had twelve hands that held planets on them, but there were no numbers. Harry was fascinated to watch the planets slowly shift around the face of the watch. "I told her once that I've always wanted one of these," said Ron. "I can't believe that she remembered it."

"Why wouldn't she, Ron? Think about who your talking about…"

"Yeah, right…. She certainly is something, isn't she?"

"You've got it bad," muttered Harry. 

Ron blushed and said, "So what's in your present, mate?" taking the attention off of himself.

"Oh…." Harry picked up his present and looked at the tag. It had the same loopy writing that he had become accustomed to as Dumbledore's writing. It said, "Harry, your father left these in my possession to give you when I thought the need arose for them. And per our recent discussion, I feel now is definitely the time." 

Harry opened the package slowly. Inside were two Pensieves and the small boxes that Dumbledore had had on his desk the night that Harry found out his history. He studied the small boxes closely, before setting them aside for further inspection later. He looked inside one of the Pensieves and noticed that it had some memories in it already. He decided that he would check out the memories there too at a later time. The last Pensieve was empty and Harry knew that he would definitely need to use it at another time.

"Wow, mate, why do you think Dumbledore felt you needed these?"

Harry looked up at his friend. Some things briefly popped out into the open part of his mind, things he wasn't ready to think about. Ron caught a tiny bit of what Harry had been trying to work through and suddenly realized that Harry had every reason in the world to need a Pensieve and to be as silent as he had been. Ron cleared his throat. "Well, I have one more present, I don't know about you… but I want to open my last present."

Harry nodded, knowing that Ron must have caught something that had been in his mind. Ron moved back to his bed.

Harry and Ron were both about to reach for their last presents when instantly in front of them appeared a small figure. Both Ron and Harry jumped out of their skin when they saw Dobby standing there dressed in complete mismatched Christmas regalia including a tea cozy with several small Christmas baubles tied to the loop on top. "_Dobby, don't do that!_"

"Dobby is sorry, sirs! Dobby just wants to give Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley their presents, sirs. Dobby must go soon, sirs, we is already making Christmas dinner in the kitchens." Dobby jumped at Harry and gave him a bone-crushing hug. "Dobby is happy to see Harry Potter, sir. Merry Christmas."

"Thank you, Dobby. Happy Christmas to you too." gasped Harry as the little elf released him.

Dobby proudly held out and presented Harry with a gift. 

"Thank you, Dobby." Harry opened them and it was a pair of socks that he had obviously made, as one had Phoenixes on it and the other had what appeared to be Hedwig. Harry slipped them on and went to his trunk. 

He had collected many mismatched pairs of socks over the summer, any that his aunt had told him to throw away because they did not have matches. But Harry had collected them, knowing that Dobby would appreciate them more when they didn't have matches. He handed the little elf about ten pairs of mismatched socks. "There you go, Dobby… Sorry that I didn't have time to wrap it."

Harry again felt that Dobby was trying to squeeze the life out of him. "Dobby thanks Harry Potter, sir. Socks is still Dobby's favorite clothes." He tucked them inside his shirt.

He then walked over to Ron and presented him with his package. Cautiously Ron opened it up and was almost horrified at the socks that he had made for him. One had Quaffles all over it and the other had Quidditch goal hoops. He tried very hard to appear thankful for the gift the he knew that Dobby had taken the time to make just for him. "Erm…. Thanks Dobby." He pulled them on his feet causing Dobby to jump at him and place him in the same bone-crushing embrace that Harry had just received moments before.

Ron looked around and picked up the socks and sweater that he had just gotten from his mother. He handed them to Dobby, who slipped on the sweater and tucked the socks into his shirt. Dobby's eyes began to leak with happy tears. "This is Dobby's best Christmas, sirs. Dobby thanks Harry Potter, sir, and Ronald Weasley, sir, for their generous spirits. Dobby must go now." He waved as he disappeared with a snap.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and shook their heads, but neither of them could help smiling at what the little elf had just done. They turned to their last presents. Both of them tore off the paper as quickly as they could. There was a shroud covering the gift that Harry got. He carefully opened it. Inside was a book with a raised emblem of a Phoenix on the cover that almost appeared to be alive. Beneath the Phoenix on the emblem was a sort of strange engraved notch, which, upon further inspection, Harry realized looked like a key of some sort should be inserted there. 

Harry tried to open the book, but it would not open. He looked at the binding of the book and noticed the words that were written in shimmering gold, "The Order of the Phoenix". He knew that that moment was not the time to figure out how to open it. Harry looked up at Ron and saw that he was marveling at the watch that he had gotten from Hermione again. Harry quickly picked up his presents and put most of them in his trunk as he took out clothes for the day. 

After dressing, Ron and Harry went down to the common room where Hermione was sitting quietly where Harry had been not more than an hour before, staring into the fire. Harry and Ron sat down on either side of her. Ron wrapped his arm around her when he realized that her face was tearstained. 

'They really tried, you know…"

"Who?"

"My aunt and uncle…. They gave me a 100 Galleon gift certificate to spend in Flourish and Blotts on my next trip there, but it just wasn't the same as having my parents…." She broke down in tears for several minutes. Ron held her tight as Harry rubbed her back. Finally, when she had regained her composure she turned and smiled at the both of them. "Thanks… Harry, I absolutely loved the rare edition book of ancient spells that you gave me. It was wonderful. Thank you."

"Thank you for the book and Magazine subscription."

She turned and kissed Ron full on the mouth and, after separating from him, lifted a chain out of her shirt with a heart shaped locket on the end. On top was engraved, "You will always be close to my heart." She couldn't speak, but Ron understood. 

He had put her parents' pictures into the locket and had written on the note for the present, "This locket is to remind you of two things. One, since it holds the pictures of your parents, and it hangs over your heart; it is meant to say that you can always keep them close to your heart. Two, the sentiment that is written upon the locket is how I too feel about you, so it will be an expression of my love to you."

"Thank you, too, for the watch, love." 

Shortly thereafter they went down to breakfast.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They spent the rest of the day lazing about, despite the huge load of homework that they been saddled with over the holidays. After about four hours Hermione couldn't take it any more and began in earnest trying to catch up and do most of her homework. Harry decided to go up to the dorm and take a closer look at some of his presents.

He grabbed the box of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and went back to the common room to find Fred and George with their heads together in the corner. Harry walked to them and said, "Okay, now, tell me how these work."

Fred and George looked at each other and gave him mirroring wicked grins. They pulled out the pinkish looking flaky pastry. "This is the Flaky Flamingo, inspired by Mr. Draco Malfoy's performance at the Halloween Masque. It turns the consumer into a dancing Flamingo for one minute," explained George.

"Let's give it to Ron," whispered Fred. "Oy, Ronnikins." 

Ron looked over at the three of them slightly annoyed. 

"Would you like to have one? They are really good." 

Ron looked at Harry and knew right away that he should not accept, but came over and picked up one of the pastries like he was about to eat it anyway. He had it less than an inch away from his mouth when Fred and George started laughing with their mouths open. Quicker than they could realize what was going on, Ron broke the pastry in two and shoved a piece in each of their mouths.

Instantly Fred and George burst into flamingoes and started dancing. Harry and Ron laughed hysterically with their hands covering their mouths. When Fred and George were back to themselves, Ron said, "Serves you right for all of the tricks that you've pulled on me over the years!" Ron sat down and looked through the other things with Harry and his brothers. 

There were modified dungbombs that spun in the air before exploding to spread around the most about of dung that they could; fluff space-filling bombs that filled entire rooms, no matter the size with fluff, for two hours, floor to ceiling. There were some more fake wands that made it seem like the spell was being cast but then the light that was emitted from the wand surrounds the user for five seconds before dispersing. And finally there were glasses the user thought was their own but to others it made their eyes seem like the were either many sizes too big for their face, if they were nearsighted or several sizes too small if they were farsighted. 

They played with the wands for a bit and had Harry try on the glasses. They laughed and joked for a while, until finally Harry had had enough. He brought the box back up to the room and put it into his trunk with the other presents. While he was there he saw the boxes that Dumbledore had given him. He took one out and looked it over carefully. 

It had the same pattern on all sides except for one. Each side looked very similar to the pin that he was wearing only smaller. The one side that was different had a much bigger place for the tail and it was notched instead of raised. Harry had an ides. He took the pin off of his collar and looked at the pin and the notch. The tail jewel of the pin looked to be just the right size to fit in the notch. He took hold of the jewel and it slid off of the pin. He placed it in the notch and the box suddenly began to grow.

When the box got big enough he noticed that there was actually a strange small shaped hole in the lid on the same side that he had put the pin jewel on. He looked at the hole and noticed that it was the same shape as the now empty tail of the pin. Harry slipped the tail of the pin into the hole and turned it. The lid popped open.

He carefully opened the lid and looked inside. There were several books. Harry picked up the top one and began flipping through it. He set it aside and looked through the next and the next. After looking through most of them, he realized that they were all his mother's journals. Some seemed to be personal, other's were about the work that she did developing the potions and charms that she had worked on. He wanted to stop and read everything but he was just driven to keep looking through all of the rest of the books in the box.

He flipped through the last book and as he was about to close it something caught his eye. There was a torn slip of paper there that said, "Your inquiry was referred to my office. The Ministry will not allow you to publish such findings, as this knowledge could be dangerous in the wrong hands, causing more work for my department. That just simply cannot be allowed. Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes, Cornelius Fudge."

Harry was curious what could be so dangerous about his mother developed, so he ran his finger down the table of contents and then flipped through to the first spell he found and read it.

The Freezing Spell

Similar to the Petrificus Totalus in nature, but does not just petrify the body. It freezes every part of a person's mind, body, and soul. This is only a temporary spell. It lasts for no more than half a minute, but the person loses the time completely. Even watches on the person who was cast with this spell have been known to lose the time. Also if a person is in the process of casting a curse that has not completely left the wand, when the freezing spell is put upon the person, then the curse they cast will seemingly rebound on the spell caster, without any of its potency, when the freezing spell ends. It will simply be like the light and wind of the curse is coming at them. None of the usual results from the curse will occur. Note: this is true for all Charms, Curses, and Spells including the Unforgivables save one, the freezing spell itself. Warning: Do not cast on self, as this spell will not reverse if placed on self.

Harry didn't see what was so bad about that spell. He doubted that anyone would have put the spell on themselves, particularly with the warning right there. He was going to go on and read more when his stomach protested. He looked at his new watch and realized it was time for lunch. He closed the book and lay all of the books back in the box. He locked the box back up and removed the jewel. The box shrank instantly back to the small size it had been before. Harry reassembled his pin and placed the box back into his trunk. He walked down to the common room, putting his pin back on. 

When he got there everyone was just getting up and heading down to lunch themselves. When they got there, they found that there was only one table in the middle of the room set for about 40. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sprout, Snape, Fletcher, Flitwick, Arabella Figg, and Clovis were sitting laughing away. Hagrid and Filch were just reaching the table and sitting down. There were several nervous looking first years and a flamboyant Hufflepuff sixth year. 

"Happy Christmas to you all. Sit down, sit down. There were so few of us, that I felt that it would be better this way," said Dumbledore as the group that Harry was in approached the table.

They all sat down and Harry realized that he was left to sit next to Lina. They smiled at each other and then tried desperately not to betray their true feelings for each other. Dumbledore looked back and forth between Harry and Lina and smiled knowingly.

Shortly after they all sat down the food appeared and they all dug in. Harry was quiet and introspective. Lina could feel that Harry was troubled about something. She watched in silence, as he seemed to be struggling to figure something out. She was about to say something to him when Ron and Hermione's voices began to rise. 

Harry eventually was brought out of his own thoughts when he heard them arguing. He looked up just in time to see Hermione getting up from the table and running from the room in tears.

"Great going, Ron. You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you," said George.

"I didn't do anything. She's just being unreasonable!"

"Ron, how would you feel if Mum and Dad were gone? Hmm? Wouldn't you be a bit unreasonable about this too?"

Ron stopped and thought for a moment, horrified. What had he done?

Ron got to his feet and ran after Hermione. Ginny and Harry were about to get up and go after them as well, but Fred and George held them down and told them that they needed to let them work it out on their own. Everyone sat silently looking after Ron. After a few moments Dumbledore broke the silence, "Ah, the trials and tribulations of young love. There is nothing like it in the world…." Everyone looked at Dumbledore. "Thank goodness," he finished. Most everyone laughed nervously. 

Conversations began again around Harry. He decided to excuse himself when he had finished what was on his plate. As he left the Great Hall, he looked back at Lina, momentarily and then turned and left. He missed seeing her watch him leave.

When he got back to the common room he saw Ron sitting on the couch in front of the fire with a sour look on his face and Hermione sitting at the table reading the book that Harry had given her for Christmas. When Harry approached Ron, he got up and left the common room, running up the stairs to the dorm. Harry approached Hermione. She put the book down which she had apparently not really been reading, as it had been upside down and put her head down on the table. Her shoulders shook with grief.

Harry sat down at the table across from her and put his hand on Hermione's. Hermione pulled her hand away and continued to cry silently. Harry continued to sit with her, waiting for her to be ready to talk, if she wanted to. He slumped over the table and began looking at the page that the book was open to. After a while he began to read it.

The Magic of a Sacrifice of Love

This is a spell that was discovered in the late third century BC by a Roman witch when her mother sacrificed herself to save her from a soldier of Hannibal's Wizarding Army during the second Punic War. This Army was ruthlessly seeking out young Roman witches and wizards and eliminating the new generation, to end the reign of the Romans in the magical world. 

The wizard attempted to get past the girl's mother to get to her, but her mother would not allow the man to pass. He performed the killing curse on the woman and moved onto the girl. The man was obviously attracted to the girl and told her that he would spare her if she would agree to become his consort.

Seeing her advantage, she decided that she would play to his affections until she saw her opportunity to escape. She stood up and put her hand on his face, as if to accept his offer. 

Slowly, she watched horrified as his soul ripped out of his body and both the body and the soul disintegrated before her eyes. It had obviously been very painfully for him, looking at the expression on his face…. 

Hermione looked up and was surprised to see Harry still sitting there. Harry looked to be reading the page that the book was open to. When she sat back, he looked up. He looked at her tear stained face and wished that there were something he could do to take away her pain. Little did Harry know, _he_ had been what she and Ron had argued about most.

Ron had started telling her what he had overheard from Harry's mind, to explain why he had been so quiet. She told him that she did not want to know, and that Harry would tell them everything when he was ready. Ron rebutted and tried to explain that he was just trying to explain why Harry had been so quiet, so that she too could understand why. They had argued back and forth about the issue for quite some time. She had finally stated that she would not like it if he did that to her, especially if it had to do with her parents death. Ron who had been completely worked up from the argument became thoroughly irrational and kept trying to argue his point to her. She had found that eventually she just couldn't take it any more and left.

When she had got back to her dorm room she threw herself onto her bed. She had cried for what seemed like hours, but knew it was only minutes. She had looked up and had seen the book that Harry had given her. Though she didn't really want to face Ron, she didn't want to be alone either. She had grabbed the book and headed down to the common room. 

When she had gotten there, Ron was sitting on the couch. She was not about to say anything to him, so she went over to the table and sat down. She had opened the book to a random page and had kept peering over the top of the book at her irate boyfriend. Shortly there after Harry had entered the common room and Ron had gotten up and had left. 

She had just lost it. She had known that Harry had sat down at the table with her and put his hand on hers. But she didn't want to have anything to do with him at that moment since he had been the topic that had caused the argument between her and Ron in the first place. He had let her cry but had stayed with her as if to support her.

Now looking at him, she knew, somehow, he must suspect that he was the cause of the argument. She put what had happened out in the open part of her mind, but she felt that Harry was respecting her privacy and not reading her thoughts. She projected a thought at him that it was okay for him to read her thoughts about what happened.

Harry cautiously came into her mind and saw what had happened through her eyes. He was not happy, when he finished.

"You mean to tell me that he did not even come and apologize after all of that?"

Hermione shook her head miserably. 

Harry got up and was about to go and give Ron a piece of his mind when she stopped him. "Harry, please don't. I know he meant well, but I just can't abide by what he was saying. I don't want to cause problems between you and him though. Just leave it alone… please Harry?"

Harry didn't like it, but he agreed. He couldn't help but feel a slight bit responsible for all of it. They talked for quite some time. Harry wished he could help ease her pain, protect her somehow like an older brother would. He held her hand across the table and when they got up to bed for the evening, Harry gave her a hug. They separated and went up to their respective dorms. 

When Harry got up to the room, Ron was lying on his bed and looking particularly miserable. Harry decided not to disturb him. He put on his pajamas and got into bed. Feeling very drained from the day and the lack of sleep he had been getting lately, he was almost instantly asleep.

He dreamed all night about what happened the night his parents died. The dream was much more complete than it ever had been, but it still was not complete from his point of view. Whenever there were gaps in his memory, his point of view would instantly shift to that of Snape's instead of his own. Strangely though things began to fall into place and make more sense.


	20. The History of the Order of the Phoenix

_Disclaimer:_ Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. 

Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

In general to all of my fans – I am so sorry about my extended absence!  Unfortunately it was not for a good reason…  My computer crashed and I lost everything…. Yes I said everything….  Luckily I have back up on another site of the updated version….  I have now finished getting that back and am giving you the next chapter…. So sorry that it took so long! :'-(

Athenakitty – Thank you for all the questions…More clarification coming up!  :-D

Romm – Definitely not! lol :-D

Jake –I truly apologize that that chapter was not enough to the point!  I hope that this chapter will help to clarify! :-D 

Tim – That is quite alright!  Life has a way of getting in the way! Lol  When ever you can read and review… It makes me happy!  I'm so glad you are still with me!  :-D

Oxi-Nu – Thank you!!!  I'm so glad!!! :-D

Smileyfaces1 – WELCOME!  Thank you so much for you comments and compliments!  I'm really glad that you have enjoyed my ficcy so far!  I hope that you will keep reading! *behind hand* Confidentially…. Those are my favorite parts too! :-D

Texasjeanette – Thank you so much for your wonderful comments and Holiday wishes!  Aside from the computer mishap that I explained above….  I had a pretty good holiday!  I hope that there is enough action coming up for you! Tee hee!  :-D 

Butler – Thank you very much!  I'm glad that you approve! :-D

Manateegirl524 –Sorry it took so long for the updat!  Well… now you know why!  I hope you like it!  :-D

The Keymaker – WELCOME!  I'm very glad that you are enjoying this ficcy so far… I hope that by the time you get to the point of reading this you will be thoroughly enjoying what I have written!  I'm glad that you took a chance on this even though you don't normally read ficcys on the books that are currently out!  And as for Mrs. Figg being a squib… it was more what you said that I was trying to imply…  I realize that she wasn't ever really a squib…. She just thought that she was! Sorry about not making that clear enough! :-D

CHAPTER TWENTY – THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX 

The rest of break was very strained between Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  Frankly, Harry was starting to get tired of having to deal with the two of them moping about.  Fred and George too, seemed to have gotten sick of it, as they spent most of their time up in their dorm room.  

Harry had decided to disappear into the library to do his homework.  He tried to stay out of the dorm unless he was sleeping, so he found himself taking long walks, visiting Hagrid's and exploring the castle without the Marauder's map to see if he could find anything interesting that he had never seen before.

Finally, the Saturday before everyone returned and the new term began, Harry was awoken to Ron's voice just outside their dorm door.  "What are you doing here?  Get away from me!  No!  NO!! ARRRRRRRGH!!!!!"

All of Harry's aggravation at Ron was stripped away, as he thought Ron was in danger.  He jumped out of bed, running.  He threw open the door of the dorm and found a very unusual sight.  Fred and George were standing there laughing hysterically and Ron was no where to be seen.  Harry gave them a confused look, as he walked over to them.  "What's going on here?"

Through his hysterics that now had him and his twin on their knees, George handed Harry a wrapper, that was, from the look of it, a newly developed product for their business.  Written on the wrapper was "Super Bubble Gum Bubble Bomb."

"I don't understand…."

This phrase just made them laugh harder still.  Somehow Fred was able to point up, and as he did a new bout of hysterics began anew.  Against Harry's better judgment he looked up, slowly.  His mouth dropped open at what he saw.  He couldn't help himself, he began to laugh too….

Floating up about 8 feet off the ground was a huge pink bubble with Ron standing in it.  His arms were crossed and he looked angrier than a Hippogriff.  It looked like he was yelling something at Harry, something like, "Thanks for nothing, Harry," but the words never reached his ears, they seemed to somehow get lost inside the bubble.

After a few more moments of laughter, Harry thought it was time to get him out of there, so he reached up to grab the bubble and to bring it down.  Fred still lying on the floor trying to catch his breath from laughing so hard, saw this and yelled a bit to late, "No, Harry!  Don't it'll…." 

BA-BOOM!!!

"….explode!"

The huge sound had filled the place and had blown Harry off of his feet.  He slammed against the wall next to the door to his dorm, the wind knocked out of him.  He was on all fours trying to catch his breath as the smoke cleared and Fred and George started laughing heartily again. 

When Harry had finally caught his breath he looked up and the sight that met his eyes made him collapse to the floor in hysterics.  George was rolling on the floor on his back kicking his feet in the air, and Fred was slamming his fist against the floor; they were laughing so hard.  But the funniest part was Ron.  All of the pink bubble that had been surrounding him before was now holding him high up on the wall, spread eagle.  He looked very much like a huge glorified splattered bug, entangled in this pink sticky goo.

In a very flat tone Ron said, "Okay, very funny.  Ha ha.  Now will you please get me down."  The three of them looked up at him as if trying really heard not to laugh and seemed to consider his request.  But the moment all of their eyes met they were rolling on the floor laughing again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione and Ginny who had both heard the huge boom, got up, put on dressing coats and ran out of their dorm rooms, and nearly into each other trying to get to where the sound had come from.  They heard some yelling coming from up in the boys dorm hallway.  They ran up the stairs.  The sight they witnessed before them was unbelievable.  Fred, Harry, and George were all in hysterics rolling about the floor.  "What…?" began Hermione.

"Hermione, thank Merlin, you're here!  Could you please get me down?"

Hermione and Ginny looked over to where they heard Ron's voice.  Ginny snickered to see her brother's predicament.  Hermione would have found it a far more funnier thing had she not been in such a foul space with him.  A small smile played at her lips briefly before she looked at him with fire in her eyes.

"You don't speak to me in almost a week and a half and you expect me to just drop everything and come running back to you the moment you need help?"  Hermione scoffed, furrowing her brow.  She took out her wand and aimed it at him at his most vulnerable spot, and not at the goo around him holding him in place.

Ron, trying to move to cover his unprotected lower portions, but having no success, started begging,  "Hermione, please!  Don't do anything rash.  I'm sorry.  I'll never do it again!  I promise!"

Hermione raised her wand above her head.  "Don't make promises that you can't keep.  And sorry isn't good enough right now….  You should have thought about saying sorry back right after it happened."  She started bringing her wand down as if about to perform a spell.

In desperation Ron said, "Please Hermione!  I'm begging you!  You were right, I was wrong!  Please, please, please don't do this!  I'm so sorry!!"

"It's too late for all of that!  You should have thought about all that from the start…," she repeated in the same dangerously low tone she had used before.

By now Fred, George, and Harry had stopped their laughing and were watching the exchange between Ron and Hermione.  Ginny took a step back from Hermione, not sure what she was about to do, but feeling the anger rise in her friend.

"W-what are you p-planning to d-do?" stuttered Ron, nervously.

"Have you ever hear the phrase 'Hell hath no fury, like a witch scorned'?"

Ron swallowed hard and nodded, a horrified expression spreading across his face.

"Be afraid.  Be very afraid, Ronald Weasley…."  Hermione raised her wand again and looked at Ron with such venom.

"Hermione, don't!" yelled Ginny as Hermione began to cast the spell under her breath.

"Relashio…"

The pink goo disintegrated around him with such heat it almost burned him.  Ron dropped eight feet to the floor, as Hermione turned and stamped out of the hall and down the dormitory steps.  Ron fell to his knees and seemed to be silently thanking Merlin while simultaneously making sure that all his body parts were still attached.  

Ron noticed that there were just a few residual bits of the gum on him, on his face across his cheek and tangled in his hair.  He gave his brothers and Harry an evil-look and stormed off into the dorm room, slamming the door behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The weeks that followed were perhaps the worst that Harry had ever had at Hogwarts.  Neither Ron nor Hermione were talking to him or each other, for that matter.  In fact Ron flinched every time he saw Hermione enter a room and left quickly there after if he was able to.  

The advanced classes were strenuous in more ways than one.  It was difficult to keep avoiding Hermione and Ron in that class since it was so small.  Not to mention the material became increasingly more difficult.  This was true, in fact, for all of the classes.

It was as if the Professors thought that they had best jam as much knowledge into their heads before the end of the term, they all were acting as if their class was the only one that the fifth years were taking.  Professor Flitwick was the worst of them all.  He had actually piled on ten different particularly difficult charms to learn and write short essays on in each one of them one week.

Homework had become a horrendous thing.  And without the support and help of his two best friends, Harry felt that it was harder and harder to keep up.  He felt as if he were nearly drowning in it.  It became even harder when Quidditch got added into the mix.  Between practice time and sitting with Angelina trying to devise strategies, his time was stretched so thin that he felt that he was nearly about to have a nervous breakdown.  He suddenly realized why Hermione had been harping on Ron and him to really get studying ahead of time.

One day early February, he had truly had enough of it all and decided to take some time out.  He went to the dorm room and pulled his trunk to him.  He took out his father's invisibility cloak and the book with the raised phoenix emblem on the cover.  It was the only thing he hadn't really looked at since Christmas, but he felt the needed to.  

He sat down on his bed and covered himself with the cloak.  He pulled the book onto his lap.  He ran his finger over the emblem.  It seemed to shimmer at his very touch.  His finger fell into the notch in the emblem.  

He lifted the book and looked very closely at it.  He realized that it looked like the reverse of the stone in his father's ring.  He looked at the ring and the notch together.  They definitely matched.  Harry slowly took off his father's ring and placed it in the notch, matching up the imprint of the GG on the side of the stone to where there was a little backwards GG on the notch in the emblem.

The book flew open knocking the ring out of Harry's hand and onto the floor.  The wind emitted by the book made the invisibility cloak fly off of him and land across the room near the door….  

Ron came up to the dorm, feeling badly about how he had treated Harry, especially since Harry really had nothing to do with the prank his brothers had played on him, though he had laughed and he was the one that popped the bubble.  He had been miserable being with his brothers and their other friends.  He wanted the trio back again.  But he wasn't sure that would ever happen, because he was quite sure that Hermione would never forgive him, so he would settle for at least having Harry as his friend again.  

When he reached the door, he tried to work through his mind what he would say to Harry in order to convince him that he was sorry for being so daft lately.  He finally had it worked through in his mind.  He swallowed his pride and opened the door and instantly felt as if something was wrong.  He looked at Harry's bed, where he had thought Harry would be, but found only a book lying open there.  He thought that maybe Harry was hiding under his father's cloak until he tripped on it.  

Ron's heart was beating in his throat now.  He croaked out, "Harry….  Where are you?"  The silence that answered him was deafening….

Ron picked up the invisibility cloak and cautiously moved toward the bed.  As he approached he noticed that there was something shiny on the floor next to it.  The closer he got the more ominous he felt about it.  He reached down and picked up what had caught his attention.  He gasped when he realized it was Harry's father's ring.  He never took it off.  So now Ron really had a bad feeling.  

Ron had never actually seen the ring up close to inspect it and there was something about it that made him feel like there was nothing more important in the world than to put it on his finger.  Ron absentmindedly put down the cloak and it missed the bed by about five feet.  Still mesmerized by the ring, Ron, forgetting why he had come up there in the first place, sat down on the bed and on top of the open book.  But there was no bed there, he just fell backwards into darkness….

Harry opened his eyes and got to his feet.  He stood in a darkened corridor.  He looked down one direction and found it completely blocked, the other direction, what ever was down there was the only way out.  He felt driven toward it for some reason and it was not to get out, but he couldn't pinpoint the real reason he was driven toward it.

He took out his wand and slowly and cautiously went in the direction away from the blocked end.  He walked slowly at first and then more swiftly.  Finally Harry was flat out running to get to the end.  When the end came into view he skidded to a stop.

There standing before him was a door.  He stood looking at it for quite some time.  He couldn't explain why, but this door frightened him.  In fact it filled him with fear greater than anything that he had ever known, and yet he was still driven toward it.

He took a step apprehensively and completely as if it were against his will.  The door was approaching faster than Harry had expected.  He crept along.  Now hearing voices obviously coming from behind the closed door that almost seemed to become eerie whispers as traveled down the corridor at him.  He inched closer to the door.  It opened suddenly and Harry flattened himself against the wall in the shadows.  The voices drifted down to him in echoes, but the words were now distinctively clear.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ron opened his eyes and rubbed his head.  Where was he and how did he get there?  One moment he had been sitting on Harry's bed admiring Harry's father's ring, the next he was here, wherever here was.  He was surprised to find that he still had the ring in his hand.  He almost got drawn into it's power again, but since he felt that it was somehow the reason he was there in the first place, he decided to place it in his pocket to give to Harry when he found him.

He looked around.  Not seeing any way out to his right he started off down the narrow corridor to his left.  He slowly walked and listened to the sound of his shoes with each step echoing off of the walls.  He looked around and saw that there was no way out.  Feeling rather claustrophobic, he started walking a bit faster.

He walked for quite some time.  Finally, he came to the place where there was only one exit.  The door at the end was open and Ron could see a bit of the room beyond.  He started walking toward it, figuring that Harry was in there.

He nearly jumped out of his skin and screamed at the top of his lungs when a hand came out of the shadows and grabbed his arm.

"Would you be quiet?" hissed a familiar voice.

"Harry!  I was looking for you and somehow I ended up here with you!  What's going on?"

"Ron, please…  I'm trying to hear what is going on."

"Where?"

"In there."  Harry indicated the room that was at the end of the hall. 

Ron stood confused for some time.  There was no one in that room that he could see.  There was simply a quiet room, but Harry seemed intent on listening to something that Ron very clearly could not hear.

"Come on!" said Harry, as he began to creep off toward the room.  They reached it and Harry peered around the room from outside the door.  When there didn't seem to be anyone in it, he attempted to walk inside.  Harry was repelled and blown ten feet away.

A deep voice echoed down the corridor, "Only the Heir may enter here!"  A panel in the wall slid open.  Harry got up and went to the wall.  There was an impression of a hand in the wall and an impression of the stone from his father's ring.

Harry swore.

"What is it?"

"I need my father's ring and I don't have it.  It was knocked out of my hand when the book on my bed opened."

Ron remembered he had it in his pocket.  "I know."

Harry looked at Ron, confused.

Ron took it out and reluctantly handed it to Harry.  "I found it on the floor next to your bed, before I fell into the book."

Harry looked at Ron skeptically.  "What were you doing next to my bed?  I thought you weren't speaking to me…"

"Yeah, about that, mate….  I'm…."

Harry could see that Ron was struggling to say something.  Harry entered Ron's mind cautiously, not wanting to be intrusive.  Ron's mind was full of things that Harry knew Ron was trying to say to him.  Ron looked up into Harry's eyes suddenly aware that Harry was there.  Ron was afraid of how Harry would react.

Harry was thrilled that his friend wanted to make amends.  "I'm sorry too, Ron.  I know that I should have told you about what was going on with me….  But the time just wasn't right.  I found out about a lot of things that I really needed to think through.  I promise you that when I am ready to talk about what I know, you will be the first one to know it."  Harry smiled at Ron for the first time since the Super Bubble Gum Bubble Bomb incident.  Ron smiled back relieved that Harry had forgiven him.  

Relieved of his fear that Harry wouldn't forgive him, new questions entered his mind.  "Harry, why do you need you father's ring?"

Harry smiled at Ron's question.  Despite the fear Harry held for what lay in that room, he was happy to have his best friend by his side to face it.  Harry took a deep breath and looked at Ron, who now seem to be almost as nervous about what they were facing as Harry.  

"For this."  Harry put his father's ring into the groove.  The many torches that lined the corridor burst into flame two by two, heading back down the straight hall toward where they had come from.

"Where did those torches come from?  They weren't there before were they?"

"I don't know."

Harry and Ron looked at each other.  "Now what?"

"Well, I guess I put my hand here…"

"Why?"

Harry looked at Ron, who had a truly clueless expression on his face.

"Ron, think about it….  After everything that has happened to me this year, why do you think?"

Ron stood thoughtfully for several moments.  Finally, realization spread across his face.  "You're not…."

Harry nodded.

"…The Heir of Gryffindor?"

Harry continued to nod.

Ron stood in shock.  He backed up slowly, ended up hitting the wall and sliding down to the floor.

"Ron…."

Ron looked up at Harry with a far away expression in his eyes.

"You are not going to back out on me now, are you?  Think of the adventures we've been through.  I'm still the same person.  I'm still just Harry."

"You were never 'just Harry', Harry."

"So what if I wasn't….  I'm still your best friend."

Ron could not argue with that, nor did he wish to give that up.  As if he had made a decision within himself, he got to his feet suddenly and walked with a determined stride back over to Harry.  

"Do you see why now I hesitate to tell you what I just found out?  I was afraid of a reaction like that… because it was how I felt when I learned about it myself…"

Ron nodded.  "I'm sorry that I ever doubted you, mate."

Harry nodded.

"Right, now what do you need me to do?"

"Come with me into that room.  I know the answers that I seek lie within it."

Ron nodded determinedly. 

Harry took a deep breath.  "Here we go…."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione was sitting in the dorm room when she got a really bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.  She looked up from her books and glanced around the room.  She hadn't seen Harry around all morning or afternoon.  She was really starting to get worried about him….  Since the three of them hadn't been getting along, she had seen Harry actually sitting and studying most of the time.  He looked fairly overwhelmed.

She wanted to tell him that she had told him so about trying to study more sooner, but she didn't think that that would go over well.  She had to admit that she was really starting to miss both Harry and Ron, though she would never admit it to Ron until he apologized for what he had said, and maybe not even then.  

But now that she thought about it, she had not seen Ron for most of the day as well.  She decided that she would most definitely go up to the boy's dorm room and see if they were there.  She closed her book with a snap and headed up the stairs to the boys' dorms.  

When she got there she knocked, but when she got no answer she opened the door.  Her bad feeling increased as she looked at Harry's bed and noticed it empty except for a book.  She saw his father's cloak strewn on the floor.  She went over and picked it up.  Then she noticed the box on the page in the book.  It had oddly enough just lit up completely.  She looked into it and saw Harry and Ron.  She dropped the invisibility cloak.  

As it fluttered to the floor she picked up the book and watched what was going on.  Harry's voice reached her ears, _"Ron, think about it….  After everything that has happened to me this year, why do you think?"_

_There was silence._

"Come on, Ron.  Figure it out.  You know that Harry is the Heir of Gryffindor."

_"You're not… the Heir of Gryffindor?"_

_Harry nodded._

Hermione knew that what she was witnessing must have been something that was similar to what had happened back in their second year when Harry was pulled into Tom Riddle's diary.  It seemed to get very difficult to see and even harder to hear them.  She put her nose closer and closer to the picture.  The tip of her nose touched the page and suddenly she was flung forward.

~~~~~~~~~

Harry put his hand into the impression in the wall.  It was a perfect match.  And then he touched his father's ring again.  A severe pain seared through his body.  Harry fell to his knees, but kept his hand on the wall and tight grip on the ring.  Ron ran to help Harry up and to help him let go, but he only succeeded in making Harry yell out in pain.

"No, Ron!  Just let me go!  Something is about to happen!  I know it!"  

A door in the wall beside them suddenly slid open.  Harry took his father's ring from the wall, and pushed himself up to a standing position.

Ron looked concerned at his friend.  "Why didn't you let me pull you away from the wall, Harry?"

"It was a test, Ron.  I knew I had to endure it.  Besides even though the pain was pretty bad, it was nothing compared to the pain I've gotten from Voldemort."  Harry slipped his father's ring back onto his finger and grabbed his wand.

Harry and Ron cautiously approached the now open doorway in the wall.  They walked through into another corridor.  It was made completely of white marble that had obviously not been walked on in many years.  Torches lit up going down the long corridor.  

They took a stepped forward into the corridor and the door slammed shut with a resounding boom.  They didn't look back.  They just slowly walked down the corridor listening to the inconsistent beat of their own steps.  When after some time they finally reached another door they were skeptical that it was getting them anywhere.  Harry felt the wall next to the door to see if there were any other panels.  He didn't feel any so he cautiously approached the door. 

 "You had better stand back," said Harry.  He touched the doorknob and turned.  Instantly he was being sucked into the room.  Still holding onto the doorknob with both hands, Ron jumped at him to hold onto him.  But Ron too was sucked in.  Harry threw his hand out and caught Ron's hand.  But now there was far less support holding him there and more weight that he was trying to keep from getting sucked in.  

Harry felt his hand slipping.  As if in slow motion, he felt it as all of his fingers started to let go, his thumb, pinky, ring finger, index finger, and finally….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lina Clovis was standing in the library.  She was researching the British History of shield regeneration for the next advanced class, when suddenly she became stood upright and became very stiff.  

"It is time," came a voice within her mind.  She turned and began walking.

She appeared to be under the Imperius Curse.  She walked to the back corner of the restricted section and pulled out a book that was glowing with an emblem of a raised Phoenix on the front and an engraved notch.  She placed the down on the table in front of the bookcase.  She reached into the space where the book had been and pulled out a box.

 She opened it and took out a ring with a red stone and the initials LG engraved into the side of the stone.  She put on the ring and stuck the stone into the notch.  Instantly the book flew open and an immense wind blew out of the book causing many of the books around her to protest.  The wind reversed and she touched a small box on the page.  She was sucked into the book head first, as the book slammed shut.  Papers fluttered to the ground around the table the book was on.

~~~~~~~~~~

Harry was down to the last finger holding onto the doorknob.  He was sweating from the effort.  Feeling it slipping he knew there was nothing left to do.  Suddenly there was a hand that grabbed a hold of Harry's hand just as his last finger let go.  At the precise moment Harry and Ron fell to the floor with a thud, effectively knocking the wind out of both of them for a short time.

"Thanks… Hermione…." gasped Harry.

"What's going on here?  Why are we here?" asked Hermione, keeping her eyes on the floor.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I know that it is important."

Ron looked up at his former girlfriend.  He knew what he had to do to get her back, but wasn't sure if she would still accept it.  "Hermione…."

"Yes," she answered softly still looking at the floor.

"I'm so sorry that I was insensitive to you at Christmas…..  Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

As she lifted her head he built up the courage to look into her stone cold eyes….

Slowly her eyes began to melt, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.  

"I'm so sorry that I didn't say it sooner.  I was being an insensitive, blind, idiotic nitwitted git that can't see past the nose on his face, again wasn't I?"

A slow smile played at her lips, "Yes, you were.  But you are still _my_ insensitive, blind, idiotic nitwitted git that can't see past the nose on his face.  That is if you still want to be with me."  She waited with anticipation and slight anxiety for Ron to answer.

A wide grin spread across his face.  She took that as a yes and smiled back.  Ron and Hermione got up and flew into each other's arms and reveled in the warmth they found there.  Hermione put her head down on Ron's shoulder.  He rested his cheek on the top of her head.

The torches began to burst into flame and light the way down the corridor again.  The door slammed, making everyone jump and turn around.  Harry stared at the door for several moments and then got to his feet.  He looked at Hermione and Ron and saw them back in each other's arms just as they had been in before the door slammed.  

Harry smiled at the fact that his friends were finally back together and gave them a bit of time to enjoy what they had missed over the past month.  He looked around the corridor they were now standing in, looking back only once briefly at Hermione and Ron to see if they were ready to move on. 

"I missed you," Hermione whispered.

"I missed you, too."

They looked up at each other and were instantly drawn into each other's souls before their lips touched for the first time in a little more than a month.  Their kiss intensified as they realized just how much they had missed each other's touch.

Seeing that they were not ready to go Harry continued to look around.  He noticed that this hall too was thick with dust from lack of use, though the floor and walls were made of black marble this time.  

Harry suddenly felt the need to go down the hall.  He couldn't turn to see if Hermione and Ron were following, nor could he speak.  His footsteps echoed around him in such a way that he could not tell if it were just he walking alone or if his friends accompanied him.  The reverberation from the sound of his every footstep seemed to close in around him.  And yet he was still driven forward.

The fear in him grew as he reached the end.  In front of him were three doors.  He looked each of them over before he heard a woman's voice reach his ears. 

_There are three doors as you can plainly see_

_One door leads you to eternity._

_Another will leave you free to roam._

_The last will take you back home._

_The choice you must make, if you dare,_

_Is only valid if you are the Heir._

_So now it has come to the time when thee_

_Must make the choice, so above all, choose wisely._

Harry stood there thinking through the poem he had just heard.  He looked at the three doors.  The one in the right was orange and appeared to be wet and slimy.  He tried to feel what was beyond it, but there was no way to tell.  He just felt the fear and pain of his life being washed away from him as he looked at it.  The red door in the middle had an intricate pattern to it around the outside edge similar to a vine growing around the door.  He felt comfortable when he looked at it, like he was at home.  Finally the door on the left was yellow and filled Harry with fear.  

As inviting as the red and orange doors were, Harry was skeptical of them.  But the longer it took him to make the decision of where to go, the more these doors took a hold of him… particularly the red door.  He stared at that door for sometime before he realized that it seemed to be coming closer to him.  Now all he had to do was reach his hand out and he would be able to touch the doorknob.  

He tore his gaze away from the red door and took a step toward….

~~~~~~~~~~

Ron and Hermione had been lost in their own embrace.  They did not notice that Harry had gone off exploring.  They seemed to be dancing to a song that was playing silently in their heads.  After some time they were brought out of their reverie when they realized much time had passed.  

They looked around and realized too that Harry was now gone.  They glanced at each other horrified.  They had done it again.  They had let their feelings come between them and their friendship to Harry.  They took off at full tilt to try to catch up to Harry.

The corridor almost seemed to lengthen.  They kept running until Harry finally came into view.  He was standing in front of three doors.  They slowed down just a bit to try to catch their breath until they saw that Harry was heading toward the yellow door.  They again took off at full tilt, and once again the corridor seemed to stretch and lengthen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry put his hand on the doorknob.  White-hot burning pain seared the flesh on his hand.  He yelled out, but pushed open the door and stepped through.  Ron, seeing the door beginning to close, ran ahead of Hermione and slide through it just in time.  He held the door open for her as he stood trying to catch his breath and rubbing his elbow, which he hurt when he dove for the door.  

Hermione ran through the door and stopped just in time for the door to literally rip itself out of Ron's hand and slam shut, almost as if annoyed.  They noticed that Harry had continued unfettered.  He just kept walking without looking back.  "Harry!  Wait up!"

Harry turned and looked at them unblinkingly.  His eyes eerily appeared to have no iris, as if they had been completely blackened out.  He turned back around and continued.  

Ron and Hermione shared a concerned look then decided to follow him, but not too close.  They looked about them and noticed that they were walking down a very bright yellow marble corridor that was much shorter than the others were.  At the end was a brilliant blue door.  Harry reached for the doorknob and turned it.  The whole corridor rumbled, though the sound came from behind them.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other and looked behind them to see….

~~~~~~~~~

Harry had walked through the yellow door and felt a strange tingling sensation as in his head.  The fear in him grew to a new height, as he could not see a thing.  The torches did not seem to come on.  He felt as if he were in eminent danger.  He thought he had heard someone call him, but when he turned around he could not see anyone or anything.  He hoped that the corridor was as straight as the others were, as he still felt that he was driven to move on.  He figured that if it were then he could make it to the end without any trouble.  

Suddenly from out of the darkness he saw something bright blue.  He began to blink his eyes furiously to clear his vision more.  It became clearer that what he was seeing was another door.  He reached for the doorknob and turned it.  There was complete silence before a loud rumble began….

A huge flood of water was rushing toward them.  Ron and Hermione turned around, screamed, and ran toward Harry, who was still just standing like a statue holding onto the doorknob.  Ron and Hermione noticed that there was a hole that opened up right next to Harry's feet.  

Harry could suddenly see again, as if all the torches had been turned on at once.  He didn't know what the rumbling was, but it sounded as if the entire place they were in was about to come down.  He could hear Hermione and Ron's approaching screams.  He noticed a hole next to his feet and jumped into it.  He was follow closely by Hermione and Ron.

They slid for what seemed like forever before landing in a tiny green room, with no way out except the hole that they had just come in from.  Unfortunately water followed them in.  The room very quickly filled up with water.

"So, what do we do, now?" Ron asked.

Harry looked at Hermione who shrugged with her eyes wide.  "I would say transfigure something to help us get back up through the hole, but transfiguring a liquid into something has not been talked about yet!  I think that will be next year."

"We could use a freezing spell…."

"But that would freeze us in here too Harry…"

"You're right…."

Something dawned on Hermione.  "Harry, how did you get to Neville so fast when we were coming back from Hogsmeade before just before Christmas?"

"I…."  Harry had not thought about that before.  "To tell you the truth Hermione… I-I think I flew."  He looked into her eyes and got the message.  "But I was really motivated then, and…"

"And what?  Now you're not?!  Come on Harry!  We need to get out of here!  It's not going to be long before we run out of breathing room!"

"I'll try…"

Harry thought really hard and suddenly without warning he shot up through the hole in the ceiling.  He fought against the water and made it to the surface in the hall they had been in, in no time.  He gasped for air as he floated in mid air.  Realizing he needed to do this quickly he dove back into the water and shot down the hole.  When he got there so much water had come into the tiny room that there were only about six feet left of breathing space, about half of what had been there when he left.  He floated in the air above the water.  Hermione and Ron both reached their hands up in the air.  Harry grabbed both of them and pulled very hard.  He got them both up out of the water most of the way before he couldn't hold either of them any more.  They eased them back into the water and told them he couldn't carry both of them.

"Harry, take Hermione.  Come back for me…  I'll be fine.  Take her and get her out of here before the water drowns us all!  Please!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!  Go!"

Harry lifted Hermione out of the water and they both took deep breaths as Harry fought against the water flow to get to the surface.  When he finally broke through he was exhausted and he and Hermione were gasping for breath.  He placed her on top of a pedestal and taking deep breaths prepared himself for the task of getting back down to Ron and back up, alive with him.

"Harry, please bring Ron back to me… alive!"

"I'll try."  Taking a final deep breath he dove through the hole back down to Ron.  When he got there, what he saw horrified him….

There was no breathing space left and Ron was floating like a dead weight in the water and was very blue.  Harry got to him and pulled him up through the hole.  He felt as if his lungs were about to burst.  And just as he thought he could not wait any longer to take a breath, he broke through.

Hermione saw Ron and started to cry.  Harry was not about to give up on his best friend though.  The waters had receded enough that he was able to get to the blue door again.  He grabbed Hermione and flew down to the door.  He tried the doorknob again, but was prepared to fly up with Ron and Hermione if he needed to.  

He turned the knob and the door opened, surprisingly enough back into the hall that he had originally been in.  They were pushed out be the force of the rest of the water rushing out of the door.  He was sitting about where he had first met Ron before they had begun.

He put Ron down and took out his wand, which he had pocketed before he had started trying to fly.  "Aqua Expellium!"  Yelled Harry as he pointed his wand at Ron's chest.  A white light emitted from Harry's wand and seeped into Ron's chest.  The water in Ron's lungs was pushed out, but when he was still not breathing, Harry aimed his wand again.  "Aerespirium!"

Ron took a breath, but just one.  Harry tried again.  And again Ron only took one breath.  He continued trying.  The little hope that Hermione had had that Harry could save Ron was slipping away.  She had lost her parents and now she had lost the man she loved, all within a year.  Why had she been so petty and not forgiven Ron sooner?

She collapsed to the floor in tears.  Harry realized that it was no use and stopped trying.  He moved to Hermione and pulled her into a comforting embrace.  She cried for some time.  She held onto Harry's arm and looked at Ron through the swirling tears.

Harry pulled Hermione's hand off of his arm and placed it on Ron's hand and rested his own hand over theirs.  He didn't know why he had done it, but he just felt the need to do it.  A light emitted from his hand and suddenly Ron gasped for breath and then started breathing normally.  Hermione flung herself at Ron and sobbed uncontrollably into his chest.

Ron looked confusedly back and forth between Harry and Hermione.  Harry projected into Ron's mind what had happened and he suddenly understood.  He sat up and wrapped his arms around Hermione, whispering words of love and comfort.

"You didn't think you were going to get rid of me that easily, did you?" he said lightly.

"Ronald Weasley, you had best not ever do that to me again!  Do you hear me?  Or I'll kill you myself!"

"I wouldn't dream of it, love…."

Sitting there watching the tender exchange between his two best friends, Harry suddenly got a strange feeling like he was being watched.  He looked to the door to the first room that he had seen and saw someone standing there.  Curious as to who would be there, he got up and walked toward the room.  He felt drawn to the spot.  He walked to the doorway and hesitated briefly, remembering the last time he had tried to step into the room.  

Then with his mind suddenly wiped clean from an unknown source, no further objection came to him.  He took a step into the room….

Ron looked up and realized that Harry was gone once again.  He looked around and saw Harry standing in front of the doorway that he had been thrown out of before.  "Great Merlin's beard…," said Ron.  "We have to stop him."

"What?  Why?"

"Because he was tossed out of the door before."  Ron got to his feet, as did Hermione.  They took off down the corridor after Harry….

~~~~~~~~~~

Dumbledore had sensed that the time was near.  He went to his vast Library and looked on his antiquated bookshelf.  He ran his finger along the dusty volumes.  His finger stopped on the "Book of Merlin." 

"So that is where I put you.  No wonder I could not find you last year when I needed to refer to you about the Goblet of Fire."

The book shuddered and said, "The Goblet of Fire was created after my time, Albus, you know that."

"Yes, but, you know more about things that were to happen and that will happen than anyone else I know."

"Ah, yes, but even I didn't see that my student Salazar would betray the rest of the young children I chose to found Hogwarts.  I thought that since he was slightly older he would guide them, but instead he tried to change them to be like him."

"We are all only human.  We all make mistakes."

"Too true, my old friend.  Now what may I help you with today?"

"Actually, I'm looking for my copy of the Order of the Phoenix book, as I must guide a young wizard as you once did."

"Quite right.  But, Albus, you know what is in store for the boy."

"Yes, unfortunately I do."

"Then, your book is on the second shelf on the right, five books in from the left end."

"Thank you, old friend."

Dumbledore went to the spot that "The Book of Merlin" had indicated and found it instantly.  He pulled out the book and a small box behind the book.  He opened the box and placed on the ring with GG engraved into the stone.

Dumbledore inserted the ring into the notch and said, "Conspicium."

The book opened and Dumbledore watched what was going on, in the little window.

~~~~~~~~

Harry had stepped into the room and saw a woman standing in the corner of the room with her back to him.  He walked over and stood next to her looking out a window that looked out into an underwater palace.

"So here we are again, Helena."

"And this time I am the teacher… just as you predicted the last time when you were the teacher, Martinos."

  Lina looked at him.  "I see that you still carry the scar of seeing, marked of course with your green eyes, as well."

"Yes.  And you still have the seven years of age on me."

"Why must we keep doing this?"

"Because we are needed.  You know very well that we come when a change in the world could or could not happen.  We are here to facilitate the change or to help keep the world from changing…"

"Yes, yes."  Lina sighed impatiently.  "This," said Lina nodding at the window, "is one of the changes that I wish that we had been able to stop."

"You know that Atlantis had to fall, my love.  The rulers were getting far too powerful and eager to rule the world."

"But did we have to destroy the city as well?  We could have spared the city at least."

"Yes, well.  That was our first time working together.  We just got a little carried away."

Lina and Harry were quiet for some time, lost in their own thoughts.  "They have no idea, do they?"

"Come again?"

"Harry and Lina, our current incarnations.  They have no idea what they are about to go up against, do they?"

"No."

~~~~~~~~~

Hermione and Ron had watched as Harry entered the room and the door disappeared.  They reach the spot where the door had been and felt around to see if there were another way to get in.  When they couldn't find one Ron yelled, "What is going on here!?"

Suddenly Ron and Hermione found themselves in Professor Dumbledore's office.  They were standing staring straight at the Headmaster.  Dumbledore drew two chairs in the air and they dropped next to Ron and Hermione.

"Sit, please."

They sat and looked at the very grave expression of their headmaster, and then watched what was happening in the book.  They watched the odd conversation between their best friend and their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.  Dumbledore closed the book after the first few minutes.

"What you have just seen must never be revealed, even to Harry."

"Why not?" asked Ron.

"Because Mr. Weasley, Harry is not meant to be told about his past lives, but meant to find out about it on his own."

"But, Professor, what we just saw makes no sense.  Are you saying that Harry and Lina are…"

"Yes.  I believe that I should tell you the whole story so that you understand."

"But what about Harry?" asked Ron.

"Harry will be fine.  Now….

_Back in the days when Atlantis was a strong, thriving city of the world.  There was a prediction that the two prominent families that were the heads of the council would have no more children save two.  There would be a girl born first and a boy born seven years later, to completely barren women.  These women were to be the best of friends.  The prediction went on to say that these children would fall in love and bring down the corrupt leaders of the city, though by what means the prediction did not say.  The boy would be endowed with the gift of sight and would have green eyes.  The girl would be his teacher and protector. _

_These families got on quite well with each other, but because of the prediction and accusations that from one side to the other about being corrupt, a rift developed between the two families.  All women of the two families were kept apart._

_Needless to say, fate found a way to allow the prediction to come true, as Atlantis no longer exists today above the ocean.  The girl's name was Helena and she was born 7 years to the day, hour, and minute from the boy, Martinos.  _

_Now, because of their love for one another and because of the success of their mission, they vowed that whenever the world was in peril they would come back in a new form.  But they would be using the exact same indications as they had before, so that it would be easy to find one another.  Then they started the Order, which until Godric Gryffindor had been the head of it, simply had no name…._

They sat speechless for many minutes soaking in what was just told to them.

"There is much more about Harry that you do not yet know, and he will have to tell you that when he arrives."

"But Professor, why would she be seven years older than him, why not seven years younger?" asked Ron.

"Because it had to be different.  In our world, for the most part, men get together with younger women.  So in order for it to stand out more, she had to be older."

"Oh."

~~~~~~~~~

"I see that Sebastian is still following you around, too.  Trying to win your love away from me."

"Is that a hint of jealousy I hear in your voice, my love?"

"Yes, well.  In the form of Severus Snape this time and Salazar Slytherin last time, he just seems to be getting slimier and more reclusive every time we meet."

"There is nothing that you need to fear from old Sebastian….  He means nothing to me, and he is one of your protectors right now."

"Not by choice….  At least we still have Sofus….  He has always protected and watched out for us."

"Yes.  He was excellent as Merlin and now brilliant as Dumbledore."

"Well, my love, it is time that we head back to the new lives we lead.  We must reconvene the Order.  I will miss you until we can be together again."

"Yes.  I will as well."

They kissed briefly and left through the walls that they had come in through.

~~~~~~~  

Dumbledore's book flew open and out came Harry, dazed and confused, with a fading realization of whom he really was.

"Harry," said Dumbledore.

Harry turned and said, "It is time for the Order of the Phoenix to reconvene." 

"Then it is time to for the initiation of those whom you wish to be part of the Order.  It will occur in the next advance class, unless you have any objections."

Harry shook his head.


	21. The Order and the Ministry

_Disclaimer:_ Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. 

Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

In general to all of my fans – I am still working out all the bugs in my computer… unfortunately there are still problems…. But I'm going to try to post the rest of this a little faster… cause this is very close to the end now!  I hope you will all enjoy the ending that I have planned!!  :-D

The Keymaker – WOW! what can I say!!  I'm very happy that you enjoyed my ficcy enough to post a response to almost every chapter!  Especially near the end!  I'm glad to have your opinions on the many things that I have written that were not exactly canon…  I can truly tell you that I pondered over much of what was written to get it all just right!  I've tried very hard to be convincing!  Oh and I'm sure you've discovered that Lina is only seven years older than Harry… ;-D  Here is the next installment!  I will try hard not to leave you hanging for too long after this… cause now it's getting pretty close to the end!  Tee hee! Oh and btw…  I got your email!  I totally understand what you mean and agree with you!  Thanks! :-D

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Ash17920 – WELCOME!  I'm glad that you liked what you've read so far!  I hope that you keep enjoying it and come back for more! As for Hermione and Ron moving too fast… well…  I have found that often a relationship is best between best friends…. But they haven't gone TOO far…. Yet  and they won't for a while yet…  But I agree with you that it could seem like they are moving too fast… but they have known each other for four years now! Lol! :-D

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Kelzery – WELCOME! You are quite right… but think of it this way… Snape didn't see everything that happened….  So since you are only hearing the story from his point of view you won't get the whole picture!  However you will see the whole picture if you follow me through the two fics following this one….  Of course I have finished writing them yet… but the whole picture will be seen before the end of year seven! Thanks for reading!  :-D

Texasjeanette – Thank you so much for your wonderful comments!  I'm glad that someone noticed that!  I worked very hard to keep that a surprise!  But as you wanted here is the next installment!  I hope to put up the chapters a little faster from here!  :-D

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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – THE ORDER AND THE MINISTRY 

Two days later as Ron and Hermione sat in the Great Hall eating dinner quickly, anxious to get to class to find out everything that had been going on.  Most of the rest of those in their class were watching them curiously, wondering what they were so excited about.

Suddenly the doors to the hall flew open and Neville ran in yelling.  They hadn't even noticed that Neville was not at dinner.  Neville came over and was flapping a paper in their faces yelling, "It 's true!  It worked!  I was right!  I did it!"

"What are you on about, Neville?" asked Fred.

"My parents, they're awake!"  Most of the Gryffindors in the area stood up and were rubbing his head, patting him on the back, or shaking his hand.  Ginny was hugging him.  Voices sprung up around him.

"That's great, Neville…."

"That's wonderful, Neville…."

"Congratulations, Neville…."

"Wicked, Neville, Wicked…."

After a short time Snape entered the Great Hall and broke up the commotion.  Neville quickly ate, though most everyone left before he was finished giving words of congratulations as they got up and left the hall.  Soon it was mostly just the Advanced Class left waiting for Neville.  Though there was one person left that made himself a most unwelcome guest at the table.  

"So the parents return from their eternal sleep… just in time to become dead.  Don't worry, I'll make sure that the graves are still open for them."

"Shove off, Malfoy," said Ron.

"Okay, I'll leave, but heed this warning… you're times will come… all of you."  He sauntered off.

Ron muttered something obscene under his breath at the retreating back of Malfoy that earned him a gentle elbowing in the ribs from his girlfriend.  He turned back to the table and said, "Come on, Neville.  Hurry up….  Tonight's class is one that you are going to want to see!"

With that comment Neville sped up eating and when he was done, they all took off toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.  When they got there they saw Lina Clovis' new assistant for the second term sitting correcting essays.

"Oh, Fargeeve me.  I deed not know zat zis classroom would be een yoos tonight," said Fleur Delacour.  Fleur had been one of the four Champions in the Triwizard tournament.  She had hoped to come back and teach at Hogwarts, but the Governors of the school would not allow her to teach under the age of eighteen, not even as an assistant.  

So when she turned eighteen she re-contacted Dumbledore who pushed her application through and got her the job as an assistant to Lina.  Lina had actually requested the help anyway, as they were getting into more difficult types of defense that needed to be observed more closely for mistakes.

Fleur smiled, collected her things, and left the room swiftly, most of the boys in the group watching her go.  She was part Veela, a creature that radiated extraordinary beauty that made men try to outdo each other to win the affections of.  Between Fleur and Lina, most of the fifth year boys hardly paid attention to the class material. 

All of the boys, save Ron and Harry, stood watching the door that Fleur had left through for several moments after she was gone.  They all sat down excitedly awaiting class to begin.  Professor Fletcher walk into the room levitating a large cauldron in front of him.  He put it down.

"Good evening, everyone.  Tonight's class will be conducted a little bit differently, as it is time for you all to understand why you are here.  The first half of the class we will be brewing a very important potion, it is essentially a cure-all for all ancient magicks.  The second half of the class will be lead be the Headmaster.  Now as we do not have a lot of time we must get started, so gather round…

"This potion is quite simple to make, really…  It is made from ten parts dragon blood to one part phoenix tears.  It will keep away the Curse of the Unicorn Blood, help release someone from the Elf's Magical Hold, and even, surprisingly, help to keep the control of the Dragon's Stare from taking one's mind over…"

Professor Fletcher proceeded to tell them about all of the things that the potion protected against.  Harry was surprised to note that Hermione was not taking notes.  She in fact did not even seem to be paying attention to what was going on in class.  It had been like that since they had come back from their trip inside the book.  She and Ron were so lost in each other that they barely noticed anything or anyone else.

When they were finished making the potion, Professor Fletcher nodded at Harry, who called to Dumbledore mentally.  They finished cleaning up just as Dumbledore entered the room.  Harry brought out his book with the Phoenix Emblem on it, and sat at the front of the room with Dumbledore.  For the first time all term it seemed like everyone's attention was fixed on the front of the room and what was about to be said.

Dumbledore looked at each person seated in the room before he began.  "What you are about to see and hear must stay amongst ourselves.  If you would please all stand up and come to the front of the room…."

Dumbledore and Harry put their books down on the desk.  They both put their rings into the notch in the emblem and turned to the left.  The emblems popped off of the books.  Harry and Dumbledore brought the emblems to the empty wall and placed them against it.  Then they turned their rings upright again and removed their rings.  They pulled on the two emblems and the wall opened into a room with a huge oval table.  

Harry and Dumbledore held the doors open while the others filtered into the room.  They closed the doors and went back to the desk to grab the books.  

"Are you ready, Harry?" asked Dumbledore in a tone that said that he already knew the answer.

Harry nodded.  "There is just one thing I still don't understand…"

"Ah, yes.  You wish to know about why there were so many doors that you had to go through for your test, am I right, Harry?"

Harry nodded.  "For any other Gryffindor Heir, they would not have been tested like I was…."

"You are correct, Harry.  But you are not any ordinary Gryffindor Heir….  There is much more to your story than you know.  All I can tell you at this time is that you are the One True Heir.  What this means is that you needed to be tested in more ways than your ancestors.  We will talk again more another time.  Now we must go and initiate the group that are willing to join."

Harry nodded and they went to the wall with the books.  Harry removed his emblem from the wall and walked through the door that Dumbledore held open.  As Dumbledore continued to hold the door open he removed the emblem and walked through.  The wall shutting with a bang and sealing behind him.

When Harry entered the room, he saw everyone over by a window.  They were all looking out and marveling at the view.  When Harry went to the window, he realized that he had seen that view before.  He was looking out underwater to a brilliant white castle.  He knew for some reason they were in Atlantis where somehow this had all begun.  He wasn't sure how he knew that, but he was absolutely certain that that was where they were.  From the murmuring around him, he was not the only one that thought this to be true.

"If everyone could please take their seats, we must begin, as this will be a long night of explanations," said Dumbledore commandingly, but quietly, above the din of the room.

As Harry turned around he realized that while he had seen the marvelous view out of the window, he had entirely missed the rest of the room getting to the window in the first place.  The upper walls of the room were lined with group paintings of the previous groups of the Order.  And the walls were lined with the Books of Knowledge.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Hermione who was standing next to Harry.  "We are in the Lost Library of Atlantis."

"That is quite correct.  Full marks," said Dumbledore, who was standing on the other side of Hermione.  "You will have many chances to explore these volumes at another time.  Please we must commence."  He indicated that they should sit down at the long, oval, mahogany table with intricately carved legs.

Everyone came to the table and sat down.  Harry was the last to get to his seat as he was still marveling about the size and beauty of the room.  He, in fact, gasped when he realized all over the doomed ceiling were Phoenixes flying back and forth.  He was about to sit down, when he realized with a start that everyone that was present, was sitting in precisely the same spots that they had been in his vision.  Harry sat and looked at everyone and waited.

Everyone was staring between Harry and Dumbledore.  They waited for several more moments before Fred had had enough.  "Okay I thought you said that we were starting.  Well, start already!"  There seemed to be a nervous snigger that traveled about the room.  Even Dumbledore seemed amused.

"Quite right, I did say that Fred."  Fred looked shocked, that was the first time in all of the seven years at Hogwarts the Headmaster had addressed him by his first name.

"Professor Dumbledore…."

"Please Fred, all of you in fact, if you choose to stay here and join us after what you hear tonight, call me Albus while we are here in this capacity…."

"But why, sir?  Aren't you the leader of what ever group it is that we are training to be a part of?" asked Nicholas.

Dumbledore smiled.  "Excellent deduction of reasoning, Nicholas.  I am very impressed that you were able to figure out that you were in training for this group, this Order.  And while I understand why you would feel that I would naturally be leader for the Order, I must tell you all that I am not…"

"Then who is?" asked Neville.

Dumbledore looked about the room at all of the students, noticing that they were all anxiously awaiting his answer.  "Whom do you think is the leader among you?  You need think about whom you would follow into any dangerous situation with complete trust.  And then you tell me."

Slowly every pair of eyes in the room landed on Harry.  

"Your intuition serves you all well.  That is correct.  Harry is the leader.  I am merely here in a capacity to help and guide Harry, as are the rest of the Heirs."

"Heirs?" asked George.

"Yes.  That will all be explained in due course.  But I must start with a slight disclaimer, if I might be permitted to do so."

Everyone nodded slowly.

"You are all here by your choice.  Though there are a few reasons why you were chosen to become part of this group."  

"What are those reasons, sir?  If you wouldn't mind telling us," said Ginny.

"Not at all.  One, if your parents or ancestors were part of the Order.  Two, you are an Heir.  Three, you were chosen by an Heir to be in the Order.  And four, you were already a part of the group to begin with, though none of you, save Professor Fletcher here and myself fit the last category.  It is also possible that you are here for a combination of those reasons."

"Thank you, sir."

"You are quite welcome.  Now, if any of you are, at all, ever uncomfortable with what we are about to tell you, then by all means let us know and you will be allowed to return to your normal everyday routines.  However with one small change.  You will have all of your knowledge of this place, what you have been taught in the advanced class, and everything that you have been told here stripped from your mind.  Do you all agree to those terms?"

Once again everyone nodded.

"Then it is indeed time to begin.  To answer your question Neville, just as Lord Voldemort is the Heir of Slytherin, the other Heirs are part of this Order.  This Order is older than you are aware of.  It was begun at the fall of Atlantis and in fact was inherited by the founding four at Hogwarts when the line of the others died out.  Each generation of the Heirs since the founders had taken over, were permitted to reestablish the Order if need be.  Due to the rise of the Heir of Slytherin, I, along with the other Heirs, believe that it is now time to reestablish the Order of the Phoenix once again."  

"But if the Order is just for the Heirs, then why are we here?" asked Hermione.

Dumbledore smiled and a twinkle entered his eyes.  "As I said, the Heirs have chosen you to join the Order, through an implicit trust in you.  They believe, as I do, that you are worthy of holding the secret and protecting the foundations of the wizarding world.  That is in essence what we will be doing.  Is there any other questions before we begin?"

Silence met his question.

He looked at Harry.  "I believe that we are ready now.  If you would let them in, through the door in the back of the room."

Harry got up from his seat and went to the door on the opposite side of the room.  He opened it and in walked Professors Snape, Clovis, Arabella Figg, Amelia Figg, and Hagrid.  They, too, took the seats that Harry had seen them in, in his vision.  Next came in Lupin with a very fluffy haired black dog, two cats, an owl, a Phoenix, and the rest of the Weasley family.  And finally came…

"Mom, Dad!" yelled Neville as he knocked over his chair to get up and run toward his parents.  He ran into their arms.  They all sat for several moments watching the tender scene.  For some time there were no words said between parents and son.  Ginny got up and stood off to the side waiting, supporting her boyfriend, who was shaking with emotion.  

Dumbledore too got up and came to them.  "I realize that you need some time to reunite, but I must ask if you can put off the reunion for but a few hours.  Neville will be excused from classes for the rest of the week so that he may spend some well needed and deserved catch up time with you…"

They five of them came to the table and sat down.  And after a few more moments they finally appeared to be ready.

"Proceed Harry," said Dumbledore.

"Forgive me.  There are some of you who know everything just as much or more than I do about my past, but I ask you all to have patience with me while I recount my life and what I have recently found out for those who do not know everything."  Harry began with what he remembered of his young life, the abuse and mistreatment of his aunt and uncle, knowing he was different but not understanding why until Hagrid came and explained to him why.  He recounted his first four and a half years at Hogwarts, only pausing once when he asked Sirius to reveal himself.  

There was a bit of fear at first until Harry reassured them, "If anyone should fear him, it should be me.  He did, after all, according to the rest of the world kill my parents and then supposedly cold-heartedly killed a street full of people including one Peter Pettigrew.  But I do not fear him.  We found Peter alive that year and it was revealed that he did in fact support Voldemort.  

"I see that some of you still flinch at Voldemort's name, as well.  And while I understand the fear, I also believe that if I have had the ability to overcome him four times and I did not know my past, then so shall you be able to.  He is not to be feared by us.  As Albus has told us, we are as strong as we are united and as weak as we are divided.  If we unite against him, he will not stand a chance."  Harry then continued until he had reached the present.  He had talked himself hoarse, but the beam of pride that radiated from Dumbledore was enough to make every bit of it worth it.

"Now that you have heard Harry's story, I would like a show of who is willing to stay and fight for the very salvation of the Wizarding world with us."  Every single hand shot into the air resolutely.  "Very good.  Now I'm sure that all of the new members are curious as to whom the Heirs are, so without further ado….  Would all of the Heirs stand up, please, and introduce yourselves?  I'll go first, shall I?  I am Albus Dumbledore, Heir of Godric Gryffindor."

Amelia and Arabella stood up.  "I am Arabella and this is my twin sister, Amelia.  We are the Heirs of Rowena Ravenclaw."

Hagrid stood up and blushed.  "I'm Rubeus Hagrid an' I'm da Heir of Helga Hufflepuff."

"But how is that possible Hagrid?  You told us you were in Gryffindor when you were here at school," interrupted Ron.  

"I will take this one, Hagrid, if you wish," said Dumbledore.  

Hagrid nodded. 

"You see, Ron, when Hagrid sat with the Sorting Hat upon his head, there was quite a long debate that the hat seemed to be having with itself.  The debate was between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.  It knew that Hagrid was the Heir of Hufflepuff through his kind, generous, loving father.  But he also had his Giantess mother in him.  And because it seemed that this side was strongest….  The hat placed him in Gryffindor."

Ron nodded, as he took it all in.

Finally, it was Harry's turn to get up.  His voice still scratchy from before, Harry croaked out, "I am Harry James Potter and I am the One True Heir."  He sat back down and everyone just stared at him.

Mrs. Weasley, who had kept quiet until that very moment turned to Dumbledore.  "Albus, you can't seriously believe that Harry is ready for the burden that that title holds."

"He passed the tests, Molly."

"Tests?  What tests?" asked Sirius. 

"Relax Sirius.  It is the battery of tests that all Gryffindor Heirs must go through to prove they are able enough to lead the Order."

"Like what?"

"The ability the work through pain; to take risks; to make the proper choices when under pressure; to use his other senses, in case one is impaired; and finally to be willing to sacrifice everything to save another, including his own life.  All are good qualities of a leader."

Sirius had to admit that Dumbledore was right.  "But what makes him the One True Heir?"

"I'm afraid that even Harry has not discovered all of the reasons behind that, so it is only fitting that we do not know yet either."  Sirius was about to protest, when Dumbledore held up his hand.  "I believe that we should save the rest of the questions to the next meeting.  We need to complete the initiation of the new members and leader now, as I am certain that they are all overwhelmed with information and would just like to go to bed."

They all nodded.  

"Then let the ritual begin…."

Dumbledore stood up and everyone else followed him.  They stepped away from the table and Dumbledore levitated the table to a ledge above the bookcases that Harry hadn't noticed before.  All of the chairs were pushed to the outside of the room against the bookcases revealing an ornate marble floor with the symbol of a Phoenix on it.  Fawkes flew to the middle of the now forming circle.  The two cats stood in the periphery by Harry, and Hedwig landed on Harry's shoulder. 

"Before we begin, I feel that it is important to mention that the animals that you see around Harry are his protectors as well as his messengers.  They will become a mere extension of him once his roll as the leader has been established.  They will know his every move and can and will die trying to save him if they must.

"Fawkes, the Phoenix, is the symbol and protector of the whole group.  He will fly above and rain his healing tears down upon the injured and because he is a Phoenix, he is immortal and cannot be killed, unless he is close to his burning cycle of death and birth.  Now with that out of the way….  Let us begin.  If you would please take out your wands and place them on the floor in front of you facing inward toward the center of the circle and then all join hands and close your eyes."

Everyone did as they were told, though Cho and Nicholas balked a bit when they had to hold Sirius' hands, but trusting Harry implicitly with what he explained earlier they took his hands and found them warm and gentle.  Fawkes turned toward Dumbledore as Dumbledore began speaking to the mind of all standing in the room.

_I am here today with the other Heirs to reestablish the Order for the protection of the world, Wizarding and Muggle alike.  Gathered in this room are those who have stated their willingness to vow allegiance of the Order for the good of all. _

_It is essential that we once again establish that you all come here freely without coercion and that you are willing to take on this immense responsibility without hesitation.  I ask that you each individually state your names, what your current status in the Order is, if there is one, and willingness to be a part of this Order.  Severus, if you would please begin…._

**_"Severus Snape, I am currently part of the Order and I am willing and able to participate further."_**

**_"Mundungus Fletcher, I am currently a member of the Order and I am willing to participate further."_**

**_"Amelia Black Figg, I am one of the Heirs of Ravenclaw, currently a member of the Order, and willing and able to participate further."_**

**_"Arabella Black Figg, I am one of the Heirs of Ravenclaw, currently a member of the Order, and willing and able to participate further in the Order."_**

**_"Cho Chang, I am willing and able to participate."_**

**_"Sirius Black, I'm one of the Heirs of Ravenclaw, currently a member, and I am willing and able to participate further."_**

**_"Nicholas Rockley, I'm willing and able to participate."_**

**_"Remus J. Lupin, I am currently a member of the Order and I am willing to participate further."_**

**_"Frank Longbottom, I am currently a member and I am willing and able to continue further."   _**

**_"Eunice Longbottom, I am currently a member of the Order and willing and able to continue to participate."_**

**_"Neville Longbottom, I'm willing and able to participate in the Order."_**

**_"Harry James Potter, I am the One True Heir and willing and able to participate in the Order."_**

**_"Lina Clovis, I am willing and able to participate in the Order."_**

**_"Hermione Granger, I am willing and able to participate in the Order."_**

**_"Ronald Weasley, I'm willing and able to participate."_**

**_"Fred Weasley, I'm willing and able to participate."_**

**_"George Weasley, I'm willing and able to participate in the Order."_**

**_"Ginny Weasley, I'm willing to participate in the Order."_**

**_"Molly Tarrent Weasley, I am willing and able to participate in the Order."_**

**_"Arthur Weasley, I am willing and able to participate in the Order."_**

**_"Charlie Weasley, I'm willing to participate in the Order."_**

**_"Bill Weasley, I'm willing and able to participate."_**

**_"Percy Weasley, I am willing to participate."_**

**_"Rubeus Hagrid, I'm da Heir of Hufflepuff, currently a member o' da Order, an' willin' and able ter continue."_**

**_"Albus Dumbledore, I am the Heir of Gryffindor, currently a member and the Head of the Order, and I am willing and able to participate further."_**

_In so much as we have all come here willingly and agreed to participate I now declare that this is the new Order of the Phoenix.  Please repeat after me…_

"I vow to uphold everything that the Order stands for…"

"I will follow the Head of the Order until his death or until he designates a new Head should be followed…"

"I will maintain the secrecy of the existence and all of the knowledge of the Order to my death…"

"I will maintain my loyalty to those within the Order…"

"I will give protection to those who need it…"

"And above all I vow not to take any unnecessary risks that could put my fellow members at risk, for personal gain…" 

As they repeated the vows, Fawkes turned to each of them in turn and a beam of light came out of the wand of the person that he was facing, connecting with each of the other wands that had come before it.  Soon Fawkes was surrounded with a bright swirling light that connected every wand in the room. 

"Please pick up your wands and lift them above your heads."

When everyone picked up their wands they all received a jolt and were able to feel everything and everyone in the room.  They knew whatever unguarded magical knowledge was in their souls, as well as the current state of wellbeing and emotions of all of the others in the room.

As they lifted their wands above their heads the knowledge of all of the others began to fade and they were left with only themselves again.  

"What was that?" 

"That, Neville was your initiation.  You are now bound to every other member of the Order.  You were able to briefly see what every other member of the Order has been through to bring them to this time and space.  To know everything that they know and be able to draw on that whenever it needs to be, but only in a situation that is related to the Order.  You cannot draw upon the knowledge of a Professor to take a test.  You are all very intelligent students, or you would not be here in the first place.  I expect you to all act responsibly."

Dumbledore looked around the room at all of the students.  "Now, as you know I am no longer going to be the Head of the Order.  I designate for all those present that the new Head of the Order is Harry Potter, the One True Heir.  Do you accept this to be true and vow to follow him without question?"

Every person present said, "Yes." simultaneously.

"Harry, do you accept this role and all of the responsibilities that come with this role?"

"Yes."  

"Then I declare that the Order of the Phoenix is herewith and henceforth been reestablished until the death of Head and/ or all of the Heirs present."  Fawkes flew to Dumbledore's shoulder and sang a note that hung and quivered in the air, calming all of those present.  Then he flew to Harry's shoulder where he repeated the same note.

"This initiation is complete.  Please return to your rooms.  Tomorrow you are all excused from classes."  

The circle broke up and Harry turned to Sirius.  "Why didn't you say that you were an Heir before the initiation?"

"Because with my aunts still living, I don't really hold the responsibility of being the Heir yet."

Amelia and Arabella came forward.  "I knew you were innocent," said Arabella.  "I mean, you gave up going into Ravenclaw just to be with your best friend James in Gryffindor.  I remember you telling me that the hat gave you a choice, and you said that you wished to go into Gryffindor, so that is where the hat put you."

Dumbledore got Harry's attention away from Sirius and his aunts.  "Harry, we need to set up a schedule for meetings of the Order."

"I was thinking about every two weeks and also and as needed through emergencies."

"Sounds like a very good plan…  Well, you should return with the others.  Get a good night sleep."

"Thank you, sir."

Harry went to the wall and opened it where they had come in.  Everyone filed out, leaving the room empty and waiting.

~~~~~~~~

The next few weeks at Hogwarts were some of the toughest that Harry had ever had.  The professors all continued to pile on the homework, as if there were no other class in the world but their own.  Defense Against the Dark Arts had even gotten so tough that Lina was beginning to crack the whip, so to speak.  Most of the class seemed to rather sit there ogling either her or Fleur.  She was getting so annoyed by it that she seemed to become almost hostile to them.

On top of his studies, Harry also had the Advanced Classes, Quidditch practice, and planning the very first Order meeting.  He still wondered about why he was the One True Heir, but he truly had no time to even consider going to Dumbledore for an explanation.

Harry was amazed at Neville though.  He had never seen his friend happier.  Neville seemed to thrive form the love and doting that his parents were giving him.  He began to have more confidence and doing much better in all of his classes, including Potions, much to Snape's chagrin.  At one point, Snape accused Neville of being irresponsible.  And though no one else knew what that meant, as Neville was doing very well on the silencing potion that was assigned for the day, the other Order member's knew that Snape was accusing Neville of cheating by reading Snape's mind. 

"You're just upset because now I'm good at potions and you don't have anyone to pick on!!"

Snape looked as if he were as mad as a Hippogriff.  "Fifty points from Gryffindor for giving me cheek.  And twenty-five for being irresponsible."

"The best bloody 75 points I ever lost," muttered Neville so quietly that only Harry and Ron, who were sitting next to him, heard it. 

Some relief came to him after mid-February when Gryffindor had played Hufflepuff in Quidditch.  Harry and Angelina had planned for a very tough fight from them, believing that they would try to come out and win a game for Cedric.  But it seemed that with Cedric Diggory, who had been their captain and seeker, gone their hearts simply weren't into the game anymore.  Gryffindor flattened them 250 to 10, and the only reason why Hufflepuff even got that one goal at all, was because Ron knowing that Harry was about to catch the Snitch, let them slip one goal through out of pity.

After the game for a couple of weeks they backed off from practicing, waiting to see who would win the match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin.  Which gave Harry a bit more time to do his homework and plan for the next meeting of the Order.  

In the first meeting, Harry had designated roles to each of the members.  Sirius and Lupin were to keep their ears to the ground to see if there were anything that they could find out about Voldemort, as he had been quiet for far too long.  Snape had just received word that Voldemort wanted to see him at his Manor once again in the beginning of March.  Harry gave him the task of collecting as much information as possible from Voldemort while he was there and to bring back a report of what he found.  

Dumbledore was to assist him in the leadership role in whatever way he could.  Neville's and Ron's parents were to start trying to spread the word about the possibility of an attack from the returned Voldemort without initiating a widespread panic.  The rest were to go about their regular business, but with one slight change, they had to be ready at a moment's notice to drop what they were doing and assist the Order, when it was needed.

Then it happened.  3am on a Saturday morning in early March, Harry got a message by Hedwig.  She landed softly on Harry's pillow, which made him sit up and look about.  His scar was burning from a nightmare he had just been having about an attack from Voldemort.  He couldn't tell exactly where it was, but there were a lot of people around that Voldemort was randomly killing anyone he thought he should, pure-blood and Muggle-born alike.  He was saying that he wanted Harry to come out and fight, and until he did he was going to keep killing his hostages.

Harry rubbed his eyes and shook his head to erase the carnage from his mind.  He put on his glasses and jumped when he saw Hedwig on his pillow.  He got a strange butterfly feeling in the pit of his stomach, when he saw her.  She stuck out her leg and nipped his finger affectionately when he reached for the note.  With a sense of foreboding he unwrapped the note and lit his wand to read it by.  He gasped and ran to wake up Ron and Neville.  He told them to get dressed and get the other members of the Order together quietly.

When they reached the Order room with most of the members were there.

"What is all of this about, Potter?" asked Professor Fletcher grumpily.

"I awoke to find Hedwig on my pillow this morning with a message for me."  He passed around the note that he had pulled from Hedwig's leg.  Hedwig, who was sitting on Harry's shoulder, puffed her feathers importantly and hooted softly.

When the note reached Dumbledore his eyes lost their twinkle and he suddenly looked very old and tired.  As he passed on the note he asked, "So what do you feel we should do about this, Harry?"

"Well, if Voldemort intends to attack London… we need to find out when and where and stop him.  I had a dream this morning just before I woke up to Hedwig on my pillow…."  Everyone stopped and was suddenly listening.  They had all learned not to take Harry's dreams and visions lightly.  "In this dream Voldemort was killing everyone, because he wanted me to come out and fight him." 

"So what do you propose?"

"I think that we need a little more information before I make my decision about what to do….  We need to find out if in fact this is what Voldemort intends to do, or if this is merely an elaborate hoax, cooked up to scare people."  

Everyone nodded in agreement.

When the note was passed back to Harry, he quickly grabbed the quill that instantly appeared on the table, from where, Harry wasn't sure.  He wrote on the back of the note that he had received….

_Snuffles,_

_Can you please confirm this to be true?  Or is it merely rumor and speculation?  We need to know specifics before any decision can be made on how to proceed._

_Harry_

Harry attached the note back to Hedwig's leg and she took off and flew out of the room the way that they had come in.

"Well, as there is nothing further that can be done tonight…  I believe that we should return to our beds."  They slowly went back to bed, but Harry was too wired, and Hermione was stressing about everything and found that she too was wired.  They decided to stay and look about the room and it's many volumes of knowledge.

Harry pulled out a particularly frail looking book and was surprised to see how very strong the book was inside.

"Harry!  Don't flip through that book!  I recognize it!"

"So what is it?"

"It is a Sheastman portal book."

"A whosey-whatsit?"

"A portal book!  You know you use it to get to another time and place."

"You mean to tell me that I could open this book and end up in another time?"

"Yes.  There are so many interesting things here in this library.  I would love to spend hours just reading every book in here!"  Harry knew that she wasn't lying and knew that she could do it too.  Harry put the book back and took out another interesting looking one.  Soon Harry found himself with his head in the book.  He didn't know how long he was there, but he knew that Hermione was directing him back to his dorm where he fell into bed and slept away most of the morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Not much was heard for that next week.  Even Harry's dreams and visions were eerily quiet and tame, which worried Harry a little.  But as the next weekend approached, so too did the match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin.  Harry and Angelina had planned to go with the Gryffindor team to watch the match and find the weaknesses of whichever team they would be playing in the final.  As Harry headed down to breakfast though that bright Saturday morning, he heard a voice that he had not expected to hear ever again the castle.  He followed the sound of the voice and found himself standing at the gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office.  He went up to just outside the office and listened to the conversation going on inside

"But Dumbledore," said Cornelius Fudge.  "You cannot possibly believe that You-Know-Who is back!"

"We have had this conversation before, Cornelius….  I do indeed feel that it is true.  Or I would not have taken the appropriate action that has kept us all safe from harm."

"But there hasn't been a single word or anything from anyone amongst those who were deemed his followers in months."

"That is true.  But I firmly believe that that is because he is biding his time and gaining strength to attack more effectively."

"I simply don't believe this to be true."

"That is your opinion, and as I said almost a year ago, this has brought us to a parting of ways.  Now I must bid you good day as I have a Quidditch match to prepare to watch.  Good _day_, now Cornelius."

Harry ran down the stairs, not wanting to get caught overhearing the conversation.  He waited for the Minister of Magic to come down the stairs.  He didn't know why, but he felt strangely like the conversation that The Minister of Magic had had with Dumbledore was just for show, that there was another reason entirely as to why he was there.  Harry followed the Minister out of the castle.

He walked quite a large distance behind the Minister, fearing that he would get caught.  But Fudge never turned around.  But that was not the strangest thing.  What struck Harry the most was the fact that Fudge was not going anywhere near where he should have been going: back to Hogsmeade.  In fact he was going in the opposite direction and heading straight into the Dark Forest….

Harry continued to follow Fudge into the Dark Forest, all thoughts about the Quidditch Match pushed from his mind.  He drew his wand just as he took his first step into the forest.  He was extremely careful to put a silencing charm around his feet so that there would be no sound as he walked behind the Minister, who seemed still to be completely oblivious to what was going on around him.  If Harry didn't know better, he would say that Fudge was in a trance of some sort.

Harry stopped as he saw the cloaked figure that had haunted his dreams and who had attacked Neville and him on the day that they had gone to Hogsmeade before Christmas, standing in a clearing in the forest.  Harry hid behind a tree and listened to what was said, though he could only hear some bits and pieces of the conversation.

"Report," said the cruel, high pitched voice of the cloaked stranger.

"Dumbledore refuses to believe that the Master is not back.  He would not tell me what he intends to do about it.  He stated only that everything would be in order soon."  Fudge was speaking in a strangely monotonous voice.  Harry suspected that he was very much under the influence of the stranger, who, quite obviously, worked for Voldemort. 

"That Muggle-loving fool is going to be the downfall of the entire wizarding community.  Shh.  What was that?  Are you sure you weren't followed?"

"Yes, sir."

"Just the same…"

It grew deathly quiet and Harry felt that he was about to get caught.  He took a deep breath and held it in fear of what was coming.

"Apareo!" yelled the cloaked stranger.  The spell hit the tree next to Harry.  He got very nervous now.  He could feel the mind of stranger coming closer.  Harry closed his eyes and tried to figure out what to do.  Strangely though he began to feel like he was above the mind.

As he thought he heard a voice, "I guess I just imagined it."  But the most odd thing was that it was below him.  He opened his eyes and realized he was now floating above the man in the cloak.  He watched as the cloaked figure went back to the clearing where Fudge was standing very still.

Harry moved closer to be able to hear better.

"The Master was very pleased that you collected the information that you have on that secret Order that James Potter used to run.  You have used your time in office as the Minister very well.  Very soon he will find out how to access the secret location.  He needs only to capture an Order member to find out how it is accessed, then he will bring the Order down.  He had plans of capturing young Potter, as he is most likely part of the new Order."

"You are absolutely certain then that they have restarted it?"

"Yes, I've told you I have my ways of knowing."

"Then forgive me for saying so, sir, but why don't you go and capture the boy yourself."

The cloaked figure lifted his arm.  "Crucio."  The cloaked man delighted in the screams of the Minister for several minutes.  Harry began losing his concentration from the burning pain in his scar.  He began to float back down to the ground, behind the tree that he had been floating by.  It was not that big, though, and he feared being caught.  Finally, the cloaked figure released the curse.  Harry took a few seconds to recover and then floated back up out of view.

He looked at the scene before him.  The Minister was on his knees and the cloaked figure loomed over him.  He leaned over him Minister and picked him up by the collar.  He lifted Fudge clean off the ground.  It was then that Harry noticed that the hand was not a human hand but a metal one.

_Wormtail, his mind screamed._

Wormtail pulled Fudge close to his face and said through gritted teeth, "Because, you squib, if I went in there I would get fried.  There are stronger wards of protection around the school this year.  I can only travel around the periphery, where the wards are not as strong.  If I ever go beyond the edge of the forest it would not be a pretty sight."

He dropped Fudge who landed on the ground whimpering.  Fudge lay there on the ground for several moments.  Suddenly the minister began to convulse and shake uncontrollably. 

"Ah, yes, it is time for your medicine, isn't it?"  Fudge sat up the best he could and almost started acting like a dog begging for its food.  Wormtail pulled out a vile and started waving it in front of Fudge.  Fudge made a grab for it and Wormtail cruelly yanked it out of his reach.  

It made Harry sick to see Wormtail, who was one of Voldemort's weakest minions, exert such cruel power over a man that was clearly under his control.  After teasing the Minister for a few more times, he finally allowed Fudge to take the bottle from his hands.  The Minister gulped it down greedily.  After a few moments Fudge was on his feet again. 

"Go, return to your duties as Minister, acting as you normally would, and prepare for the attack on Diagon Alley.  You know what to do…"   

Fudge turned around and left the forest stiff legged.  Once he got to the edge of the forest he looked toward the Quidditch field and noticed that everyone was at the game.  He silently turned toward Hogsmeade and walked away from the crowd.

Harry had stuck around with Wormtail to see if he could find out more.  Wormtail began laughing and muttering to himself.  Harry got a little closer still.  He landed on the ground not too far from Wormtail.

"….come April 1st, Potter, you will be in my hands and I will be back in my Master's good graces, and then we will be able to attack Diagon Alley without your interference at the end of May."  

Harry had heard enough.  He backed away.  Unfortunately, when he landed he had forgotten to put the Silencing spell back on his feet and he stepped onto a stick.  It snapped and Harry horrified looked down to his feet to see the offending stick.  When he looked back up he was looking into the eyes of Wormtail…. 

Harry flinched and thought that he had been caught.  He pulled out his wand, but Wormtail didn't move, he didn't even blink.

"He is-s-s-s under my power, my friend," said a familiar voice behind him.

Harry turned around and saw Norbert staring at Wormtail, with Hagrid holding onto his leash.

"His-s-s-s-s mind is-s-s-s-s s-s-s-s-so weak, that I did not have to do much-h-h to hold him, s-s-s-s-so that he knows-s-s-s noth-th-thing that is-s-s-s-s going on around h-h-h-h-him."

"Norbert 'ad insisted on a walk.  Now I understan' why.  Hop on.  We'll 'ead back to the groun's."

Harry hopped on and Norbert took off.  During the Triwizard tournament when he had had to go up against the dragon, and even earlier when they were learning about Dragons in Care of Magical Creatures, he had failed to notice the grace and beauty that these animals moved with.  He could almost see why Hagrid liked them so much.

With a swift smooth dive and landing they were back in the paddock behind Hagrid's home.  "There is-s-s-s no need to worry about that evil man having s-s-s-seen you….  He will not remember what h-h-h-happened to h-h-h-him."

"How did you know that I was there in the forest and would need your help?"

"C-c-c-centaurs-s-s-s are not the only creatures-s-s-s-s that can read the s-s-s-signs-s-s-s of-f-f-f the f-f-f-f-future."  If Harry didn't know better he could have sworn he saw Norbert wink and smile before turning and curling up in the back of the paddock. 

Harry then turned and looked at Hagrid, who had a very grave expression behind his bushy beard.  Harry pursed his lips and nodded his head.  With that, Hagrid knew that they needed somehow to very discreetly assemble the order without alerting anyone at the match to what was going on.  

Harry sent a mental message to all of the members that he could reach, just as Cho made an amazing catch of the Snitch by hanging upside down only holding onto her broom with her legs to catch it.  Ravenclaw had won and everyone was filtering out of the seats and leaving the field as Harry and Hagrid had reached it.

The Order members slowly began standing aside waiting for the rest to get there.  When Cho came out with the rest of her teammates she said she would catch up with them later and came to the side with the rest of the Order.  They walked around the field and found a quiet place where they were able to make a door to get to the Order's room.  

Once they were all settled once again around the table, Harry told them all what he had learned.  "Please forgive me for eaves dropping, Albus, but I simply had a very bad feeling when I saw that he was here."

"I, too, felt that there has been something different about him for the last three years, but until you told us this, I had had a very difficult time putting my finger upon it."

"The past three years?" asked Harry.

"Yes, Harry.  Starting with Hagrid's removal from here at the end of your second year.  Then when he knew where you were going and greeting you as you came off the Knight bus.  Beside that him believing Severus instead of Hermione, you, and myself that same year.  Not to mention when you returned last year from the ordeal after the third task, he called me away at precisely the right moment so that Young Barty Crouch could take you back to his office.  And his total disbelief of any of us that Voldemort had indeed returned.  The signs were all there, it was just a matter of seeing them through the right lens."  Dumbledore smiled at Harry with pride.  

"Where is Severus anyway?" asked Professor Fletcher.

"I dun know Professor… I tol' him meself dat der was a mee'in'."

"Hmmm….  Interesting…," stated Dumbledore cryptically.

"Well, now that we know for sure what Voldemort plans to do in London, we should begin planning a counter strike," said Harry getting directly to the point.

"I believe that you are correct, Harry."

"The only thing that is missing right now is the information from Severus.  Perhaps we should go and get him so that we can have the full picture before we begin."

"I believe, Harry, that we have enough information to go on right now.  Perhaps you had best leave questioning him to me, " said Dumbledore.

Harry nodded and they began.


	22. Hermione's Foally

_Disclaimer:_ Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. 

Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

In general to all of my fans – Unfortunately the message I put here  last time still applies!!!  So this is what I said: I am still working out all the bugs in my computer… unfortunately there are still problems…. But I'm going to try to post the rest of this a little faster… cause this is very close to the end now!  I hope you will all enjoy the ending that I have planned!!  :-D

Manateegirl524 – WOW!!!  My story is more addictive than Reese's???  That is such a wonderful compliment!!!!  Thank you so much!!!!!  :-D

Texasjeanette – Thank you so much for your wonderful comments!  Hehehe!  You needn't worry about your well loved potions master… though you won't find out in this story _exactly _what happened to him…  I will tell you this…  He does make future appearances in my year six and seven of my ficcys, much to the torment of Harry!! Tee hee!  :-D

Butler – I'm glad you liked it!!  Thank you very much!  Tee hee!  :-D

Athenakitty – Thank you for all the questions!  Here comes more answers for you!!   :-D

Kento – WELCOME!!!  Your English was just fine!!  Thank you for your comments and compliments…  as for the relationship with Lina and Harry… With his mind on leading the Order, studying for the O.W.L.s and Quidditch…  He has very little time to think of everything else…. However I will say that the relationship between Harry and Lina will grow and become much more important to the line of the story in the future…  We are very close to the end of this ficcy…  So when I post year six… there will be some interesting things in there!!  Thank you for your candor!!  I really appreciate it!!  :-D 

The Keymaker – Thanks! More here!! Tee hee!! :-D

11111 – WELCOME!  More here!  Then go get some sleep!! :-D

**_CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO – HERMIONE'S FOAL-LY_**

Over the next two weeks things were very tense.  Not only did it seem that the homework load was increasing, but the anxiety of the approaching April first and the deadline for Wormtail to capture Harry was fast approaching.  They were to have a Hogsmeade trip that weekend before the first, and at first it had been suggested that the weekend would be cancelled.  However Harry thought that that was unwise.  It would tip off Voldemort that somehow they had found out his plan.  

So they decided to go ahead with the weekend, which all fifth and seventh years were thankful for as they needed a break from the grind.  Hermione herself had nearly had a nervous breakdown from all of the stress that she had been putting onto herself to succeed.  And despite a bit of stress from the knowing that something could happen, she was much more relaxed knowing that she could get out and away.

They got ready and ate their breakfast.  When Hermione hit the fresh air, she seemed to instantly transform into a different person.  She was relaxed, happy, and laughing at anything and everything.  Harry and Ron glanced at each other feeling like Hermione had finally truly lost her mind.

They visited all of the shops, as Hermione ran from shop to shop skipping and laughing as if she were six years old again.  Harry and Ron followed her as she skipped down the path toward the back side of the Dark Forest.  When Hermione stopped to pick flowers beside the densest part of the forest Harry and Ron, staying close to where she was, stood and chatted quietly about their plans if anything were to happen that day.  

They were so engrossed in their conversation that they failed to notice Hermione walking toward the edge of the forest toward a beautiful golden Unicorn foal.  Nor did they notice that Hermione was almost beckoned inside the forest by the foal.  She followed the foal without looking back….

A few moments after she had entered the thickest part of the forest, Harry noticed that Hermione was gone.  He swore.  "Hermione's gone!"  He ran to where she had been picking flowers and started running after her tracks in the mud, from a recent rain.  Ron was not far behind him.  They ran to the edge of the forest and noticed that the tracks led inside.  They looked at each other and followed the tracks inside.  

After her tracks went in a ways, they noticed another set of footprints was added to hers.  There had been a bit of a struggle at first where the second set of footprints came in, then it seemed like she had been walking forcibly next to the person, using their same stride.  Eventually Hermione's prints were more like sort drag marks, until there were no footprints from Hermione just a line next to the other prints where it was obvious that she was being dragged.  

At that point they began running again.  They hardly noticed the bushes scratching their arms as they went.  They ran until they saw Hermione lying in a clearing, in fact the very same clearing that Harry had been to before, the clearing where he had seen Wormtail just two weeks ago. 

They drew their wands and cautiously approached.  Lying nearby Hermione's lifeless body was the Unicorn foal that she had been following.  Now extremely close to the foal, Harry looked at it.  It appeared to be dead, as its silvery blood flowed out around it through a terrible gash it had in the head.  Harry stood up and went to Ron who was standing off to the side, seemingly in shock.  

Harry bent down and checked to see if she were still alive.  "'Mione?  Wake up please…."  Harry shook her.  At first he thought she wasn't alive and tears began to enter his eyes, but then he felt a slight movement of her body and wasn't sure what it meant.  

"What do you think we should do now, Harry?" asked Harry.

"I'm not sure there is much we can do, Ron," said Ron.

Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and began to weep.  "No!  She can't be dead!  I won't let her be!  'Mione wake up!"  He fell to her side and began to shake her violently as his tears dripped all over her, but to no avail.

He collapsed on top of her and wept hard.  Ron walked to the foal and stuck his fingers into the blood.  "I wonder."  He collected a bit of its blood in a small vial that he had in his pocket after using a cleaning spell on it.  He brought the vial to Hermione and much to Harry's shock and horror, Ron started trying to give the Unicorn blood to Hermione.

"Bloody hell, Harry, what in the hell do you think you're doing!  You can't give her that!  You'll doom her to a half life, a cursed life!"  

Ron stopped and looked at Harry.  

"Ron, this is the only way to save her!"  Ron turned back and started pouring the blood into Hermione's mouth.

"No, I won't let you doom her life!"  Harry grabbed for the vial and somehow Ron was able to get the rest into Hermione's open mouth, before Harry took the vial away.  

A voice called, "Stupefy!" 

Ron hit the ground.  Harry scrambled to his feet

BANG.  Several cords wrapped around Harry's hands and feet making it impossible to move.  He looked up in horror to see that Wormtail had at last found him….

Ron truly hoped that he would be convincing enough to pull this off.

BANG.  A few more cords exited the wand in Wormtail's hand and wrapped around Harry's arms and torso, effectively making his arms useless. 

"So you saved me the trouble of coming after you….  Good…."

Harry hopped off backwards as Wormtail pointed the wand at Harry's chest.  Harry hit a tree and could go no further.

"You have been the cause of my pain since I left your friend's pocket 2 years ago…  Voldemort has punished me too many times to count because I have failed to get you…"

"You cannot do this Wormtail," said Harry.  "You owe me…."

"I don't owe you anything!" spat Wormtail.

"Oh?  Do you not recall what I did for you two years ago?"

"You set me free of my wonderfully dull and boring life with your friend.  How can I ever thank you for that," said Wormtail in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No, not that."

"What then?"

"Need I remind you that it was _I_ who saved you from death at the hand of Sirius Black…"

A look of realization spread across his face. 

"You can't tell me that you forgot that…"

Wormtail looked as if he had just swallowed a bumblebee.  He started stomping on the ground and swearing with many colorful metaphors.  He advanced on Harry with his hands out as if he were willing kill him barehanded. 

"I could kill you now and not have to repay you at all!  I could claim that _you_ were trying to attack _me_."

"You wouldn't."  

"Try me," said Wormtail with a sneer.  "I lived with the lie that I was dead for twelve years and that I had sent an innocent man to jail for what I had done.  Why wouldn't I lie about this?"

"You're very proud of yourself for that, aren't you?"

"Well, I did send one of the pompous Heirs to the grave and the other to Azkaban for something I did….  Yes….  In fact I believe I am proud of that.  I finally outsmarted the both of them."

Harry's eyes showed his outrage, but that was nothing in comparison to Ron's eyes, that were glowing green beneath his lids.  Harry looked down at Ron and knew that Ron was not going to keep lying there much longer, if he heard much more than that.

Harry tried to change the subject.  "What do you want with me?"

"Information.  And I will get it when I bring you to my Master.  He will be the one to extract the information from you as painfully as he wishes to."

Harry 's eyes flew wide open in horror.  Ron got up and tried to sneak up on Wormtail.  But Wormtail felt him coming and threw another Stupefy over his shoulder at Ron.  This time his strike was true, Ron wasn't expecting that, so hadn't had time to erect a shield as he had the first time.

Wormtail placed a blinding charm on Harry.  Harry said, "Hey, I can't see!"  Harry knocked his glasses off of his head onto the ground.  _I hope that Harry will be able to find these when he wakes up.  Oh and one more thing….HELP!_  Ron reached out with his mind and touch the nearest Order member.  He thought he found one just as Wormtail started speaking again. 

"That's right you are not allowed to see where we are going.  Stupefy!"  Harry sank into darkness.

Wormtail threw Harry over his shoulder and grabbed a hold of a piece of trash from the ground.  He activated the portkey, without looking back at the two people that he had left alone in the Dark Forest to die.  This was lucky of course because just as he had activated the portkey… the features on Ron's face started to change.  His hair suddenly became black and a scar appeared on his forehead.  His clothes suddenly seemed a bit too big, and behind his eyelids.  His eyes were now green.  The Polyjuice Potion had finally worn off….

~~~~~~~~~

Lina Clovis sat in The Three Broomsticks trying to relax after the stressful week.  It seemed like none of the students were taking her course seriously, especially the fifth years, save those that were part of the Advanced Course and also the Order.  She sipped her butter beer slowly.  She had just started to relax her mind when the message came through loud and clear

_Help! it had said.  Lina sat upright and almost spit out the Butterbeer in her mouth….  It was Ron's voice.  She knew that Harry and Ron had planned on using the Polyjuice potion to switch places, just in case anything happened that day.  She also knew that Hermione seemed to be on her breaking point with her own stress level.  She hoped that it was the latter that Ron was calling help about, but somehow she doubted it.  _

Lina ran at top speed out of the pub, turning several heads as she did.  Rosmerta huffed when she hadn't even paid for her butterbeer yet.  When she realized this she thought, _I'll just have to come back and pay you later._

She ran to the place that she had felt the message come from.  When she got there she pointed her wand at Harry.  "Ennervate!"

"Harry, what happened?  Where's Ron?"

Harry projected into her mind exactly what happened as he sat up putting his pounding head into his hands.  "Phase one, is complete of our plan….  Unfortunately it did not go as well as we had hoped.  Ron is gone… taken by Wormtail and in the hands of Voldemort."  He lifted his head and realized was very blind, then he remembered why.  "My glasses.  Do you see my glasses anywhere?"

Lina looked around.  She saw them on the ground near the tree diagonally from them.  She went and picked them up and handed them to him after repairing them.  He put on his glasses.  He looked down at Hermione.  "I had no choice but to give Hermione some Unicorn blood to keep her alive.  I could feel her life essence slipping away.  She needs to be treated with the ancient magicks cure-all, that we made in the Advanced Potion Class back in February."

"Harry, are you all right here if I go up to the castle to get it and bring it back?"

"I could start heading back to the castle and meet you in the hospital wing…."

"That's an even better idea.  Yes, do that.  I'll meet you there."

With that Harry and Lina separated.  Harry picked up Hermione and carried her to the castle.

~~~~~~~~~

Ron opened his eyes, saw nothing but a bright light, and shut his eyes quickly again.  Things were beginning to become more focused.  He realized that the clothes on him were a bit tight, the pants legs and the arms of the shirt and sweater seemed a bit short.  He suddenly remembered why and realized where he must be.  The ground that he was lying on was cold, hard, and damp.  He listened to what was going on around him, as the light was still too bright for him to open his eyes.  There were voices around him that were slowly becoming clearer.

"I don't know, Master!  I swear that it was Potter when I took him from the clearing in the forest," said the exasperated voice of what Ron recognized as Wormtail.  Ron got a bitter taste in his mouth when he remembered that Wormtail had fooled him and his family for twelve years, pretending that he was first Percy's and then Ron's pet rat.    

"Does that look like a black haired boy with a scar in the middle of his forehead to you," said a cold cruel voice calmly.

"No," came the timid response.

"Precisely….  Crucio."

The unearthly yells and maniacal laughter that filled the small space where Ron was lying made his skin crawl.  The screaming stopped, but the laughter didn't.

"Master?  I thank you for your merciful punishment…."  Ron heard a kiss, which he only assumed meant that Wormtail was kissing Voldemort's robes.  The very thought of it turned his stomach.  

Ron hear a thud as the cold cruel voice continue, "Get off of me, you pathetic Squib.  I do not require that kind of devotion from you right now.  If I am reading the signs that you have given me correctly, and you know that I am very rarely wrong….  Potter has some how figured out our plans…."

"Do you wish for me to call for a meeting of your loyal subjects, Master?  So that we can change the plans?"

"Yes, we will call for the meeting, but not for the reason that you believe….  You have presented me with a very interesting alternative, Wormtail….  I believe that we can use this to our advantage…."  The laughter began again and echoed in Ron's ears.

~~~~~~~~~~

Lina had gotten to the castle in no time.  She was running up the stairs to her classroom when she almost did the impossible thing of knocking over Hagrid.

"Whoa, hol' on der, Lina.  What's da rush?"

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione were attacked in the forest…."  She projected to him what had happened.  He took off down the steps toward the back of the castle, toward his hut, praying he would be in time to help Harry, fearing that somehow Wormtail would return to get Harry as well when he discovered the truth.

"He is coming to the castle, through the forest!"  Lina called after Hagrid. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Harry trudged through the forest back toward the castle.  Each step he took he felt as if another drop of his energy was drained away from him.  He had reached the edge of the forest carrying Hermione, he suddenly felt as if his body could not move any further.  He looked up and saw Hagrid coming across the lawn toward him.  _Why is the world spinning so fast? _thought Harry.

The edges of his vision were starting to blur.  He felt his strength and consciousness was slipping away from him.  He tried to put Hermione down before he completely fell into darkness.  He started to bend down, but felt himself falling….

~~~~~~~~

Harry found himself in a cold, damp, brightly lit, dungeon, where it was located he did not know.  He looked around and saw Ron lying on the floor.  Ron was bruised and unconscious.  A few moments later Lucius Malfoy entered the room.  

"Administer the potion." A clear looking potion was forced into Ron's mouth by an unknown Deatheater.  Lucius sneered and pointed his wand at Ron's chest.  "Ennervate."

Ron sat up and looked at the man in front of him with a far away, unfocused look in his eyes. 

"Do you hear me?"

Ron's eyes fluttered.  "Yes."

"Good.  You are going to tell me everything that you know about The Order of the Phoenix."

"I do not know anything about the Order of the Phoenix."

"He is lying, sir.  It was revealed by the other that he is one of the new members of the Order." 

"The other is a liar and has been deceiving us for many years, whether the Master believes that or not….  I will not advise Our Lord to act on the simple words that _he_ has given us…."

"Stupefy," said Malfoy as he pointed his wand at Ron, without even looking at him.  "I will administer the other potion.  Go get Our Lord…."

Malfoy took out a black muddy looking potion and again forced it into Ron's mouth.  Harry was shocked when the potion changed to a bright blue as it left the vial and entered Ron's mouth.  He made a note to try to find out what that potion did when he got back to his body.

Harry moved into a dark corner and sat down.  He relaxed himself completely, so as not to draw attention to himself when Voldemort entered.  He watched silently as Voldemort glided into the room.

"Wake him."

"Ennervate."

"What's going on here?  Let me go!"

"My, my, but you are a feisty one, aren't you…?"

Ron spat on Voldemort.  "What do you want from me you…."  Ron chose several colorful metaphors to describe him.

Voldemort laughed.  "Is that all you have?  Is words to offend me?"

"Give me a wand and I'll show you what I've got," growled Ron.

"Tut tut.  You might just want to reconsider your attitude, or I might not tell you what I know about your beautiful girlfriend and how your own best friend killed her…"

Ron paled.  "What do you mean?  Harry wouldn't kill her!  She's both of our best friends!  He wouldn't kill her!"

"Search your memory, you foolish boy….  Remember how jealous he was of your relationship at the beginning of the year….  He has always been in love with _your girlfriend."_

"No, don't believe him….  It's is not true…," muttered Harry.

"I don't believe it!  I won't believe it!  It can't be true… can it?" 

"Crucio.  You will believe."

The force of the spell caused Harry to suddenly be ripped away from the scene back to his body.  He was yelling at Ron not to believe as he went.

~~~~~~~~

Hagrid watched in horror as Harry came to a stop at the edge of the forest.  He was swaying and he could see that Harry was trying to put down Hermione.  He landed on his knees and somehow managed to put her gently onto the ground before he collapsed on top of his friend.  Hagrid picked the both of them up and carried them back to the school to the Hospital wing.  The whole way back Harry was babbling incoherently.

When they finally reached the Hospital wing and Hagrid had put the two of them down, Harry sat up and said, "No, Ron.  Don't believe him!"  Then his voice changed.  "The One True Heir will be betrayed by one of those closest to him.  The Order is in jeopardy…."  There was more babbling that occurred before Harry fell back to the bed, once again unconscious….  

~~~~~~~~~

Harry had very vivid dreams of torture and torment.  He watched as Ron slowly began to break and seemed to believe what Voldemort was telling him.  But always at the end of what was being told to him, Ron would spit at Voldemort and refuse to believe that Harry would intentionally harm Hermione, though the evidence that he had seen with his own eyes was to the contrary of what he truly believed was true. 

Watching his friend get tormented and hurt was almost too much for Harry to take.  He just couldn't watch it any more.  He opened his eyes and blinked furiously.  He lay there trying to remember where he was and why.  Suddenly everything came rushing back to him.  He sat up fast.  "Ron!! Hermione!!"

He got a sudden head rush, and put his head in his hands.  Trying to calm the excruciating pain in his head he pressed one palm to his head hard, while the other reached for his glasses.  He found his glasses in his hand and put them on.  He reached to his collar and found that his pin had been removed.  He reached over again, searching with his hand for his pin.  Again it was in his hand and he put it on.  Instantly the pain in his scar was reduced to a slight dull burn.  He took a deep breath and looked up.

He was in shock to see that the room was full of all of the Order members, save three.  They all were looking at him.  Dumbledore came to his side and the rest of them left through the wall to go back to the Order room.

"I failed, didn't I?  They don't want me to be leader any more, do they?" 

"That is not true at all, Harry.  I realize that what you are saying is your emotions talking.  And that is okay, but you must realize that you are our only hope.  There is no getting around that.  And they all realize that.  Not to mention, you saved one of your friend's lives.  And that is important."

"But how do I know that I really saved her life?"

"She is lying there alive now because of your quick thinking.  She would not have lasted the trip back to the castle, if you had not done what you did."

"Then why were they all looking at me like I let them down?  I did let the Weasley family down…"

"No, you did not, Harry.  It was important for you to do what you did, to throw off Voldemort.  Ron and his family knew the risks and they agreed to what you proposed.  However, what they are truly afraid of is that you will not be strong enough to fight Voldemort in just over a month and a half."

"Why wouldn't I be strong enough?"

"Because what you are about to face will be one of the most difficult times in your young life.  While you have been lying here for the last week, you have roamed in and out of consciousness.  Much of the time that you spent in your state of higher consciousness, you were muttering a prediction that became more elaborate each time it happened.  That is why they were here.  They were waiting to see what you would add to the prediction this time.  

"I believe that I should go and let you rest.  When you are cleared by Madam Pomfrey to do so, we need to give you a breviary of your predictions and figure out the best course of action."   

"What about Hermione?"

"Miss Granger, has yet to awaken from your ordeal….  However when she does she will be filled in to what happened as well."

"Now lie back and rest.  Forget about the adult worries that you are unfortunately destined to take on.  Think only of what you must do now.  That is heal yourself."

"Professor, can I ask one more question?"

"Just one more?"

"Why is it that I am so weak?  What happened to me out there?  Why did I lose consciousness when I got back to the castle?"

"Part of who you are is a healer, Harry.  You had contact with Miss Granger and you took on some of the symptoms that she possessed, because you did not ground yourself and guard yourself against her ailment.  So you have had a mild case of what she has."

"And what is that, exactly?"

"She was slipped a potion, by whom we are not yet sure.  This potion made her act very childish and giddy the day that you went to Hogsmeade.  It also allowed her to walk into a situation that she would normally be able to assess as dangerous.  It essentially gave her a child's mentality.  And at the same time it was poisoning her.  The only cure for that potion just happens to be Unicorn blood, in it's pure form.  So it is either that you die from the excruciating pain and agony of the potion as it literally burns you from inside out or you die from the cursed half life of the pure Unicorn blood.  It is not much of a choice."

"Then how did I survive if I took on some of her ailment?"

"Because you were not really poisoned by the potion.  You did not really have that potion running through your blood."

"Oh."

Dumbledore got up to walk away. 

"Professor?"

"Yes, Harry."

"What does it mean that I am the One True Heir?"

"Have you ever sat down with the Order book and read it, Harry?"

"No, I didn't realize that I could read it…"

"Ah, yes, you thought it was just a portal, through which you were to be tested is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Now that you have passed the tests, the book will open for you to read, but I might suggest that you wait until your summer vacation to read it, as you will be very busy from now until the end of the year, due to your upcoming O.W.L.s."

"Speaking of the O.W.L.s….  What about Ron, sir?  How is he going to take his?"

"We will come to that road when we cross it….  Right now, let us concentrate on just getting him home.  Now, rest…."

Harry lay back and tried to quell the questions running though his mind.  Very soon he was asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

Harry found it very difficult to study for his O.W.L.s while knowing that his friend's both still lay in peril.  He found himself isolating himself in the common room at the table that Hermione usually used.  Many of the other Gryffindors skirted around him.  Some tried to strike up conversations with him, but seeing his anxiety, figured he would just rather be alone to study, especially when they thought that both Ron and Hermione were sick and in the Hospital wing, but unable to take visitors.  

None of them really understood what exactly he was going through.  Many days they found Harry asleep at the table and Harry would quickly head off to the dorm room to shower and change.  The only people who were aware that he almost never slept in his bed any more were Neville, Dean, and Seamus.  And of those three only one truly understood why.

The day that Hermione woke up and returned to the Gryffindor tower was one of great sorrow, but also one of happiness, too, for Harry.  She walked in shortly after dinner one night.  Harry, who had virtually given up hope that the next person who would walk in would be her, usually looked up every time the portrait hole opened.  When he looked up and saw Hermione standing there, looking at him with tears in her eyes, he thought he was dreaming.

 He got up slowly and walked to her side.  He looked hopeful at her trying to penetrate her mind with a message of hope, but she was very closed to any kind of message.  She simply threw her arms around his neck and hung there crying for some time.  Harry held her trying to speak words of encouragement and soothing.  Most people watched curiously, believing that somehow Harry and Hermione had become a couple and they had just been hiding it all year, others knew the truth.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Harry asked softly.

All she could do was nod as the tears kept falling.  When they got outside she began her ranting, "He promised me!  He promised he would never leave me!  And now he has!!"  She broke down again.

"Hermione, we'll get him back.  I promise you that!"

"Really?"

"Yes."

They walked silently walked down to the lake and sat on the shore, quietly watching the giant squid move its arms about lazily.

"Harry, do you really think there is a chance that we will get him back?  And please don't lie to me."

"I don't have to…  I truly believe that he is still with us and that we will get him back.  I can't believe anything else…."

They sat quietly again, lost deeply in their own thoughts, not even noticing they were being watched….

A pair of eyes was watching, assessing, thinking much the same as had been reported to the owner of them.  As the girl put her head onto Harry's shoulder only one thought entered the mind of the owner of the eyes: Harry and this girl were together.  "The Master will be very pleased to know that there is in fact another who can be used against Potter in case the first doesn't work," the cloaked figure muttered quietly. 

Just at that moment there was suddenly someone else there.  The cloaked figure ducked down so that the others wouldn't see.  There was no sound that the cloaked figure heard, but it watched as Harry and Hermione got to their feet and follow the other boy out….

Hermione had put her head onto Harry's shoulder.  She didn't know what she would have done if she hadn't had Harry at that moment.  She thanked Merlin for Harry's friendship, without him she didn't know how she would make it through.  

"Harry, Hermione!" yelled a familiar voice.

They looked up and around to where they heard the voice from to see Neville approaching them.  

"What's up, Neville?"

"A meeting has been called by Dumbledore to brief you on everything…."

"Okay.  Thanks Neville."

Harry and Hermione got up and followed Neville up to the school.  When they got to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class room they went in discretely and walked to the wall that they had opened before.  Harry stuck his ring against the wall and it opened.  They walked in pulling the door closed behind them.

Everyone was there already, except for Snape and Ron.  They took their seats and Lina reached over to Hermione and took her hand, squeezing it to show her support.  Percy had his back to Harry and his eyes on the floor, the expression on his face was that he was more than just a little annoyed.  

Harry read what little from Percy he could, it seemed that he didn't like being called away from his work so often, being that he was now the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, as he had replaced the elder Crouch.  Harry was about to say something to Percy about the importance of his role in the Order, since he could influence and bring in Witches and Wizards from other countries to help, when Dumbledore caught his eye and shook his head.  Harry wasn't sure why, but he got a very bad feeling about it.  He vowed to ask Dumbledore about it when he could later.

"Welcome back, Hermione," said Dumbledore softly and gently.

She tried really hard to give him a smile, but tears still threatened to roll down her cheek.

"I called this meeting for the purpose of trying to decide how best to go about dealing with what has been predicted…."

"Albus… what is it exactly that has been predicted?" asked Hermione softly.

"Ah, yes.  I was just coming to the fact that you and Harry do not know exactly what is in the prediction.  It stands as thus…

 _The One True Heir will be betrayed by one of those closest to him.  The Order is in jeopardy of losing the day, if not the war, if you do not prepare for the worst.  Two amongst you will be turned and will not return to the ranks, for better or worse it cannot be told, for all ends cannot yet be seen.  Two of you will not survive.  The day must be fought with care, or the risk of losing the war will increase.  Protect the Heirs at all costs, for they now hold the key…._

"What do you suppose that means?  Two amongst you will be turned," asked Ginny, nervously.

Harry looked at Hermione and around the room.  "It means that two of us will join Voldemort."

"You don't suppose….  Not… no it can't be!" yelled Hermione, tears starting to stream down her face again.

Harry looked at Hermione and reach across the table to grab her hand, "Look, I didn't want to tell you this before because I did not want you to lose hope, and that goes for all of you….  Ron is being tortured.  He is being made to drink a very black potion and then given information to make him believe that you are dead, Hermione, and I am the one that caused your death.  

"Thus far he has chosen to believe his heart, that I would never betray him, and so forth….  But I do not know how much longer he can hold out, the Black potion, whatever it is, is slowly weakening him.  I have felt it, each time I have gone there and seen what they are doing to him.  I know that we can bring him back, but I'm not sure if he will be the same person when we do….  He is having his will broken piece by piece, and they are brainwashing him to believe that this Order means nothing but harm to world and that I am in fact the evil that he should fight against…."

Mrs. Weasley let out a strangled cry.  Ron was after all her youngest son.  Mr. Weasley held her as she too began to cry.

Mr. Weasley looked up to Professor Fletcher.  "What is this potion that they are giving to my son?"

Professor Fletcher swallowed hard.  He had hoped that they would not ask that question.  "From the description of what is happening with your son and what the potion looks like… there is only one potion it could be.  It was one that was developed by a very brilliant young wizard that I taught just over 50 years ago.  His name was Tom Riddle.  And as we all know, that is the name that Voldemort was born with."

"So what was the potion?" asked Harry.

"He discovered it purely by chance when he left his cauldron up too high and too long when he was making a Memory potion.  What it does is alter and distort the memories that are in one's mind instead of making memories clearer.  It can cause the mind of a wizard to split in two.  At first it is not difficult for the wizard to know the right from wrong.  But slowly over time the line becomes skewed and the good can be lost altogether."

"Is there a cure?" asked Mr. Weasley in a near whisper that echoed strangely about the room.

Professor Fletcher slowly shook his head, "The only way to get a wizard out of that state of mind is to jar him back to reality, but even then it is hard to say if it would last…."

Professor Fletcher's last word hung heavily in the air, as everyone in the room tried to digest what was said.  The only sounds were of Hermione and Mrs. Weasley sobbing.  It broke Harry's heart to see this.  Mrs. Weasley and Hermione were two of the strongest witches he knew.

He turned to Dumbledore, who saw determination on Harry's face such that he had never seen before.  Harry turned to Professor Fletcher.  "Mundungus, I want you to leave now and figure out exactly how Tom Riddle made that potion and find a way to make a cure.  Leave now and begin working on that.  We will fill you in on the rest of the meeting, when it is essential for us to do so."  Professor Fletcher nodded, got to his feet, and walked out through the wall leading to the dungeon.

"Well, that may answer the question as to one of the people who will be turned, but what about the other?" asked Ginny.

"That is yet unknown," answered Dumbledore.  "Now, since that piece has been answered in the best way that we can… we need to further examine the rest of the prediction.  I believe we have answered who it will be that will betray Harry…."

"_The Order is in jeopardy of losing the day, if not the war, if you do not prepare for the worst.  The day must be fought with care, or the risk of losing the war will increase.  What do you suppose that means?" asked Neville._

Dumbledore looked at Harry.  

"It means that Voldemort knows that we know what his plans to attack Diagon Alley.  He is using that to his advantage.  He's trying to gather as much information on me to try to find my other weaknesses.  So that when he goes up against me, he has the advantage over me.  It is a warning to me that I must be prepared for what ever he can throw at me….  But I must do all of this preparation carefully so as to not allow Voldemort to know what I suspect."  Harry looked to Dumbledore for confirmation of his surmise.  

Dumbledore nodded.  "That is correct, Harry.  However, I believe that it would behoove all of us to prepare in the same way."

The last two statements of the prediction were left unquestioned.  They all knew that they must protect the Heirs at all cost and apparently those costs would be high for two of them, as they were to lose their lives doing so.  The unanswered question of who would be the victims of that prediction lay untouched and unsaid, floating in the air…. 


	23. Diagon Alley

_Disclaimer:_ Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. 

Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

In general to all of my fans – Okay this is the second to last chapter and the last chapter is very short…. So this chapter is the climax!!  I hope you like it!

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OOoWASPToOo – WELCOME!!!  Thank you so much for all of your wonderful comments and suggestions!!  I appreciate your offers!  I might just take you up on that some time!  I appreciate the email and the chat this afternoon!  I hope we can do it again sometime soon!  And of course as I said to you I am currently writing a year six and posting it to Harrypotter.com.  When I finish posting this….  I will give the html for the site there!  It's not finished and very rough… but also I must warn you that they don't give me the name Princess of Cliffies lightly!  I truly have earned that name!  Anyhow enjoy!!!

_CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE – DIAGON ALLEY_

Ron lay in rags on the floor.  He had still refused to give into what Voldemort had been trying to convince him of, but he was finding it harder and harder to distinguish reality for the fantastical lies that Voldemort was telling him.  He had no idea how long he had been there, but he knew it was a long while, his hair had grown to the point where it nearly wrapped around his ears.  He knew that the Order could not come after him, because none of them knew where he was, he didn't even know where he was.  

He often used his ignorance to his advantage.  He once almost got the location where he was out of one of the more idiotic Deatheaters, which Ron only assumed must have been somehow related to either Crabbe or Goyle, because they seemed to be the henchmen of Lucius Malfoy.  Unfortunately, Malfoy had come at the precise moment that they were going to tell Ron and told them that they were not allowed to speak to Ron at all.

Most of the time now, with the aches and pains that were running through his body, he just lay there on the floor, too tired and hurt to move, which this too had it's advantages.  He listened to conversations that went on just outside the room he was in, when the Deatheaters that roamed outside and guarded his room, thought he was asleep.  He couldn't get much out of them that way, but he took whatever tidbits he could get.  At that very moment there was a conversation going on about their upcoming plans to attack Diagon Alley.

"The Master wants to know if he will be ready in time to participate in the attack."

"He will if I have anything to say about it."

"But the attack is just three days away!"

"He'll be ready I tell you.  Lucius has said that he was going to increase his dose tonight again, to see if that would work to break him further…"

"What is he trying to kill him?  If he increases the dose of the potion much more, he'll kill him!"

"There's no big loss there…."

"No, I agree.  But let's not have Potter rain his rage down on us before we are ready for him."

"Oh, we are ready….  There's another little thing that we know is his weakne….  Shh.  Shh."

There was a quick paced walk coming down the hall the Ron had learned to dread.  He knew exactly what he was about to endure.  "So are you two boys ready to help break a spirit today?" seethed the harsh voice of Malfoy.  The other two guffawed stupidly as they opened the lock to his cell.

He had gone over in his mind a thousand times what he would do.  He had tried so many times to get away and each time he was caught and brought back to his cell.  But this time was different he could feel it.  He was going to get away this time.

He waited until he had heard the steps behind him stop.  He heard the word, "Stupefy!" and he immediately threw up a weak shield and rolled out of the way.  The spell was deflected onto one of Malfoy's cronies.  Ron got up and took Malfoy's wand from him all at once, just as Professor Lockhart had done to him at the end of his second year.  He ran toward the door throwing a couple of Stupefys over his shoulder without looking back.

Somehow he had managed to strike true with the spell, and despite the weakness of them, it was enough to knock the two remaining standing for a loop and to come crashing to the floor in a heap, unconscious for a short while.  Ron couldn't believe his luck.  He ran out of the still open cell and shut the door behind him.  He ran around the halls for a while until he found the stairs that he had always seemed to get to, just before he got caught.

He looked behind him and seeing no one coming, he ran up the stairs to the door at the top.  He opened the door cautiously.  To his complete astonishment there was not a single Deatheater around.  He was beginning to feel that this was far too easy.  But he could see his freedom, just a few footsteps away.  He decided to just be bold and walk straight through and out the door.

Just as he walked past the door on his right that was slightly ajar he hear a cold cruel voice reach his ears.  "Leaving so soon, my son?"

"I am not your son, Voldemort."

"Oh, but you are, Ronald…"

"My father is Arthur Weasley."

"You were only raised with him as your father.  I truly am your father.  You see, I abducted your Mother and impregnated her with you, then I erased her memories of the whole thing, as well as your father's.  They don't remember anything about what happened."

"You're lying," said Ron skeptically.

"Why would I have to lie when the truth in this case is far too delicious not to tell?"

Ron looked up into the face of his self-proclaimed father and saw something in the red snake like eyes that he recognized.

"You see now, don't you, that we were meant to rule the world together…."

Something snapped deep inside his potion-saturated mind that caused what Voldemort had just said to make some sort of sick sense to him.  All of a sudden he realized how true it must be, knowing how alienated he had felt from his own family all of his life….  Always knowing that he deserved and wanted more.  Knowing that the real reason that he had befriended his father's killer was to bring him down, not to care about him and to throw him off he would pretend to fall in love with a Muggle born witch.  Perhaps Voldemort was right.  Perhaps it was time to break free of his dull and dreary life and embrace his destiny with his real father….

Before Ron's appearance Voldemort had expected the young wizard to attempt an escape that day.  His mind had wondered through why he was glad that Ron was his prisoner….  Arthur Weasley had foiled him a number of times, too many to count in fact.  He had come up with his plan several nights before.  He was almost startled out of his reverie by the appearance of the boy walking outside of the room he was sitting in.  He called the boy back and started to carry out his plan.

Voldemort watched as the youngest son of one of his greatest enemies started considering everything he said, and just to push it all along, he projected thoughts into Ron's brain and made them feel like his own.  He could feel Ron's mind beginning to crack.  He added a little more and finally Ron's free will and internal beliefs were gone.  So, he took the initiative and asked, "So, my son, what do you know about the secret Order that Potter is part of…?"

Ron got a very sly look in his eyes and grinned wickedly.

~~~~~~~~~

Harry woke up yelling, "Noooooooo!"  He was again sitting at the table where he had fallen asleep studying.  Hermione was shaking him.  

"Harry, Harry wake up!  What's wrong?"

Harry looked up into her eyes and she knew, Ron had at last given up the fight.  Hermione and Harry embraced and both fought hard to keep back the tears.

"What is it?"

"What's going on?"

"Where's the trouble?"

"Who's yelling?"

Harry and Hermione looked over to the stairs and saw that they were packed with students with worried looks on their faces.  Neville, the twins, and Ginny fought their way to the front of the lines.  They took one look at Harry and Hermione and knew something was wrong.

"Okay, break it up!  Go back to bed!  There's nothing to see here!"  They started pushing the other students back up the stairs and once everyone was safely in their rooms, they came back down.  The sight they saw haunted them.  

Hermione was sobbing uncontrollably in Harry's arms.  Harry himself had a stone cold look on his face, with his jaw clenched.  They came over and knew instantly what had happened.  They could see the pain in his eyes.

"Did he betray you?  Us?"

"I'm not sure….  All I know is that it will be a fight to get him back…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three days later they all sat in the Order boardroom and waited.  It seemed that Snape was once again was not coming.  Harry looked knowingly at Dumbledore, through tired eyes.  He hadn't slept at all well in the anticipation of the attack that was about to happen, and with the intensity of the nightmares that he had been having.  Harry shook his head to remove the memories of what he had seen, and then sighed.

"I believe we should not wait any longer, Albus."

"I tend to agree with you on that, Harry."  He got up and everyone followed suit.  "Just one moment, please."  Everyone sat back down.  He walked over to the wall and tapped four books in rapid succession.  A piece of the wall slid back and to the side.  As Dumbledore entered, the small room lit up as the torches exploded to life.  Dumbledore stepped into the room and returned with 23 cloaks.  He banished all but one to the table in front of them.  

"These are the cloaks of the original members of the order, when it was first started by the Atlanteans, passes down from generation to generation.  Though Godric added the Phoenix symbol.  

"When you wear this you, above all, gain the knowledge and power of all those who wore it before you.  They are made of a special fabric, very similar to your father's invisibility cloak, Harry.  The Phoenix symbol of the cloak need only have the contact of an Order member to make that entire person invisible.  It is far more powerful than a simple Invisibility cloak, as it will strengthen any charm that is cast by the wearer and will enhance any protection that the wearer erects.  It also gives an effective disguise when the invisibility of the cloak is not activated." 

Each one was made of heavy looking velvet and had gold braided ties for the hood, at the neck.  There was a Phoenix embossed in red and golden thread on the left over the chest area.  The cloaks all started out black in color.  The moment they were touched by the person that would wear it, it shimmered and became clear and then changed to the color that best suited them.

 They all put on their cloaks, which felt surprisingly light on their shoulders, and looked around the room.  They were all surprised to note that none of the others looked familiar.  A very young looking wizard that exhibited a very palpable aura said in a voice that Harry recognized, "Please take note of what your fellow members look like, as this is how we will appear to each other and to the others around us.  But if you are uncertain if someone is an order member or not… you can always look into the eyes of the person, as the eyes are the windows to the soul."  He lowered his head and looked at all of them, as if he were looking over the top of the glasses at them.  He knew instantly it was Dumbledore, by looking into his eyes.

"Now then, if there are no objections I think we should possibly be on our way… as it was not specific when the attack would start," said Harry.

"I tend to agree with you….  Everyone join hands."  Everyone gathered and held hands.  "May we all be protected and watched over by the great wizards and witches of the past, as well as the Great Spirit that watches over us all.  May we all have success today and come back safely."  Dumbledore reached into his pocket and took out a Bubble Gum Bubble Bomb wrapper and they all touched it.  Dumbledore activated it and they all felt a familiar pull behind the navel.  They landed in the middle of the tiny courtyard behind The Leaky Cauldron and opened the gateway into the Alley.  They all walked in and took their places watching and waiting for the attack to begin….

Harry had taken the spot closest to the gateway.  He had wanted to be close to Knockturn Alley, where all of the shops were devoted to Dark Arts, because he figured that would be where the attack would begin.  But Dumbledore had insisted on Harry being furthest from the most likely point of attack.  "After all," he had said, "All the great Wizard Generals of history have been the furthest away from the battle origin.  They needed to lead the wizard armies to victory…"

Harry knew Dumbledore was right, but he really wanted to be there to get Ron back.  He could sense that Ron would be there, and he didn't know what state to expect him in, but he was ready for anything. 

Harry was relieved to find that the Alley was nearly empty.  He had hoped that meant that there would be few casualties, that had nothing to do with the attack.  Dumbledore had asked that Arthur to discreetly find a way to get the community at large to not be present in the Alley that day.  It seemed to have worked.  

Harry started making his rounds between the shops near the gateway.  When he saw something that horrified him.  There was a flyer in the window of Flourish and Blotts that stated that there would be the first annual Ministry sponsored day in the Alley, where all those that needed scholarships for their children could get them.  There would be contests and a free fair as well, this all to get support on a grand scale to help stop the evil of the wizarding world.  The flyer stated that the fair would begin at 4pm, but the largest number of activities would begin at 5pm.  Harry looked at his watch.  3:50pm.  He did not have the chance to run to warn the others now…  The gateway opened, suddenly allowing a steady stream of wizards and witches to pour into the Alley.  

There were many witches and wizards wandering around.  Harry wanted to tell them to get out, to run for their lives, that Voldemort was about to attack, but he wasn't sure if there were any spies in the midst of those wandering in. 

Harry projected a message to Dumbledore who was the next set of shops away and they met at the shops in the middle.

"What is it, Harry?"

"Sir, I'm afraid that there are going to be many casualties here today.  I've seen a flyer that said something about a fair…."

Dumbledore held his hand up.  "Harry, I, too, have seen these flyers.  I, in fact, inquired about them, because it was my understanding that there is no room in such a small place to have such a thing.  The shopkeeper had been quite cross with me for asking, apparently I was about the thousandth person to inquire about it in the past week.  He kindly answered my inquiry with and impatient explanation about a building that apparently allows access to the area that spans the entire area below the Alley.  According to the shopkeeper it is not a well know place but has, in fact, been there for quite some time and was used as one of the shelters during the Goblin Wars.

"Oh."

"We cannot do much of anything to stop this now, Harry.  You know as well as I that Fudge has been influenced to do this.  It was all planned before we ever became involved."

"Yes, sir."

"We will do our best to make sure that the casualties remain minimal."

Harry nodded and returned to his rounds.  He kept nervously looking at his watch and touching his pocket for the reassurance that his wand was still there.  As he watched the time tick away he found that he was walking his rounds faster than he had been.  He reached the entrance again in four minutes when it usually took six.  He looked at his watch, five minutes until five.  He looked nervously about the crowded street.  He looked at his watch again, three minutes to five.  He found that he could no longer stand still.  He began his rounds again.  Just as he rounded to go back to the entrance again, he glanced at his watch again, five o'clock and nothing had happened yet.  He breathed a sigh of relief and took a step back toward the entrance, when….

**_BOOOOM_**!!!

Harry was blown off his feet.  The whole street shook and the buildings almost seemed become unsettled, like they were about to fall over.  All of the many people around him fell to the ground as well.  Harry scrambled to his feet, as did the other Order members.  Their heads were all popping up around the Alley.  Suddenly a mass of hysteria and panic happened.  

Many got to their feet and started running toward the entrances, only to find them blocked and unable to get out.  There were some that were being trampled and Harry pulled a crying child, bawling for her Mummy, out of the way of the approaching crowd of hysterical people.  The little girl clung to him and cried loudly in his ear.  He looked about for the woman that belonged to the child.  There was a woman seeming to call for someone at the front of the Apothecary.  He found a way to get over to the woman without getting run down by the people running around trying to find a way out. 

He approached her and the worry in her eyes turned to gratitude.  "How can I ever thank you for finding my little Karen."

"You're smile is thanks enough."  He tried to give her over to her mother, but she was so scared she just wouldn't let him go.  When she finally realized why she was getting passed over she let go of the choke hold she had on him and turned to put the chokehold on her mother.

He turned around and came face to face with Ron.

"Oh.  Excuse me," said Harry trying not to look directly into his eyes.

Ron looked him up and down skeptically and as if he had a bad taste in his mouth.  "You should be, you squib."

Harry realized at that moment that Ron might have been lost to him forever.  But even though he felt discouraged he refused to give up hope.  Professor Fletcher had found what he felt was a possible cure to the potion that Lucius had been forcing on Ron.  If nothing else he could force it down his throat.  He watched Ron go, as he seemed to be looking for something.  His capes billowing out behind him, much like Snape's often did.

Harry backed off and bumped into someone.  He turned around quick and came face to face with the young man that he recognized as Sirius' disguise.

"Sirius, I…."

A new wave of people came running down the street toward the entrance that Harry had been walking rounds by, screaming.  Harry stopped someone that was in the running horde and asked what was going on.

 The man looked at Harry and grabbed at his cloak in sheer terror.  "RUN FOR YOU LIFE!!  IT'S YOU-KNOW-WHO!!  HE'S ALIVE!!!"  The man turned and ran off yelling at the top of his lungs.  

Soon the crowd had moved in around Harry and Sirius.  And they watched as a crowd of Deatheaters approached, in the middle of which was most definitely Voldemort.

The group stopped and Voldemort came to the front.  "So you all thought I was gone.  You all thought that a child could kill me.  Well, news flash….  YOU WERE ALL WRONG!  And just for not believing that I would survive, you will all be punished, until the one that I want appears before me."

"And who would that be?" asked a man in the crowd.

"Why, Harry Potter, of course."

"He's not here," yelled a woman opposite from where Harry was standing.

"Oh, but that is where you are wrong….  Avada Kedavra."  He aimed the wand at the woman and she dropped to the ground with a thud.  Harry fought the urge to run out there to reveal himself.  He didn't want any more blood on his hands.

"He's at Hogwarts.  They aren't out of school yet!  Why would he be here!  He's only a boy!  Why try to hurt him?" yelled the first man that had spoken, before Harry could react.

Voldemort aimed his wand at the man.  "Avada Kedavra," he said lazily.  The man fell to the ground.  

Harry bit his lip.  He had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but he knew that this is exactly what Voldemort had intended.  "I know you're here, Potter.  I can feel you.  You will come out now or I will kill one person, every 5 seconds until you do…"

He started aiming randomly at people and killing them.  Harry felt a tightness in his chest as he fought the urge to run out there, hard.  "Come on, Potter.  Come out and fight me.  Let everyone here see that you are not the wizard they think you are, as I kill you in front of them.  I know that this is destroying you, to have so much death on your hands….  It is after all because of you that these people are dying."  He turned and killed a few more people randomly from the crowd.

Harry couldn't take it any more.  He yelled out, "Noooooooo!!"  and ran forward untying his cloak and dropping it on the ground before Sirius could stop him.

Voldemort sneered slyly.  "I knew you were here.  Crucio."

Harry yelled out in agony and fell to his knees, for the small time that he was put under the curse.  Voldemort stopped and said, "Get to your feet, Potter.  I would like you to meet… my son."  Harry could hear a commotion in the crowd behind Voldemort and watched as the woman that he recognized as Mrs. Weasley's disguise collapsed to the ground in a heap, sobbing. 

Harry got to his feet and came face to face with Ron, once again.  "He is not your son."

Voldemort leaned in to whisper in Harry's ear, "Yes, but he does not know that… anymore."

He moved back and put his arm around Ron's shoulder.  "Now, my son…  All you need to do to prove yourself to the world and me is to kill the man standing before you….  Kill your best friend."

"He's not _my_ best friend anymore….  He killed the only woman that I ever loved, the only woman that loved me more than him…."

"But she's not dead, Ron.  She's alive!  I cured her with that potion that we learned about…."  A Deatheater came up to Voldemort and whispered into his ear as Harry said this, and Voldemort nodded in response.

"Don't lie to me, Potter!!!!"

"Hold on, my son, let us bring up his one and only true love so that she can be murdered in front of him before he dies….  Bring her up."

"Lina…," Harry whispered.  From behind Harry came a commotion.  Harry turned to see that a woman was being brought up to where they were.  She was giving such a fight that he couldn't see who she was.

"I'm sorry father I can't wait for him to endure such pain.  I can't even stand to look at him any more…  AVADA –"

 Ron looked up just as he was about to throw the curse to see the woman he loved standing in front of him in a chokehold by one of the Deatheaters.  He stopped.  He looked next to her at his best friend being held in front of him, by another Deatheater.  The one that he had been about to kill.  The one who looked as if he were ready to die to save him.  He looked back and forth several times.  He slowly lowered his wand to his side.  "Hermione?"

"Yes, Ron.  It's me.  Harry cured me."

Ron muttered under his breath, "Harry was right."  He turned to Voldemort and something inside his head snapped again.  The look upon Ron's face became one of pure venom.  "YOU!  YOU LIED TO ME!  She's alive!  That's her over there!!!  And to think what I almost did!"  Ron pointed the wand at Voldemort who grabbed the tip of it and they struggled for the wand.  Sparks flew out of the end of the wand as they struggled to gain control over the wand.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry had shut his eyes.  If he had to be killed by anyone that he would rather it be Ron, his best friend.  Because through doing it he may jar out of his altered state of mind and then Ron would be saved.  Harry was ready to face death if need be.  He had had enough of this cursed life that he led, at least that is what he tried to convince himself of.

When no spell came to hit Harry opened his eyes again.  He saw a struggle between Ron and Voldemort.  Ron was trying to get his wand away from the man whom he had just been calling father.  Harry wasn't sure what had just happened until he saw the girl standing next to him was Hermione, but just to be sure that he was right, he asked, "What's going on?"

Just at that moment Ron yelled, "YOU LIED TO ME!  MY GIRLFIREND IS ALIVE!  THAT'S NOT HARRY'S ONE TRUE LOVE, BUT MINE!!!!"

Suddenly a jet of magic came flying out of the wand at the crowd they all ducked and ran for cover.  The Deatheaters, for the most part, ran to help their Master.  More magic flew out of the wand as the struggle increased.  Some of the spells hit the Deatheaters.  Ron found that Voldemort was surprisingly strong, for the brittle looking man he had become.

"No, you fools!  Don't come in close to me!  It's a trap!  The rest of the Order is here in disguise!" screamed Voldemort.  The Deatheaters all stopped where they were and turned around to scan the crowd for the defiant people of the Order.  But none of them were able to see though the disguises of the Order members.

Ron continued to fight with Voldemort for his wand.  The Deatheaters had to duck out of the way from a few more escaping spells.

Harry managed to shrug out of the grasp of the astonished Deatheater, who was watching what was going on with Ron.  Harry pulled out his wand and said, "Stupefy!" to the Deatheater and then he faced Voldemort.  "Expelliarmus!"

Ron's wand flew to his hand.  Ron came to Harry's side and Harry gave him his wand back.  The three of them pointed their wands at Voldemort, who nodded his head.  Three Deatheaters came up behind them and grabbed them before they could move.

"Did you really think you could defeat me so easily, foolish boy?"

He looked at Harry and despite the enhanced power of his pin, because he still maintained contact to the Order cloak with his foot, there was a burning pain steadily growing in his head behind his scar.  Voldemort started laughing maniacally.  "Poor little Potter has a cursed scar that hurts him by a mere look from me.  My, my, my.  Tut tut.  Too bad you won't be able to save your friends….  Avada Kedavra."  He pointed the wand at Ron.

Harry threw his arms out and knocked the Deatheater that was holding him to the ground and threw his hands out in front of him, at the precise moment that the spell should have been reaching Ron.  Ron had shut his eyes and scrunched up his face, but when nothing hit him he opened his eyes and saw Harry struggling with all his might to keep a huge shield protecting the entire crowd, because he wrapped it around Voldemort and all of his supporters.  The spell had actually bounced off the shield and hit one of the Deatheaters, killing him, and knocking down several others.  Harry said through gritted teeth, "Go.  Get out of here.  And get all of the people out too!  I-don't-know-how-much-longer-I-can-hold-this."  Sweat beaded on Harry's brow and began dripping down his face.

Some of the Order members helped enhance the shield that surrounded all of the Deatheaters and Voldemort.  The others were able to break the locking charms and get the people remaining living people out, before Harry collapsed, in exhaustion.

The other remaining Order members couldn't keep up the shield without Harry, for they were exhausting their own magic as well.  Just a few moments longer and the shield collapsed.  Voldemort advanced on the unconscious form of Harry.  But was stopped by a simple leg-locking curse from Neville.

"I'm sorry, but I just simply cannot allow you to hurt my friend," said Neville.  Voldemort brushed off the spell and threw one of his own at Neville.  "Crucio."

Neville hit the ground in excruciating pain.  Voldemort held the curse on him for some time as he walked slowly to him.  He released the curse and looked at the writhing boy in front of him.  He smiled a most devilish smile, "Ah!  I had wondered when I would meet the son of the two people that I could never crack.  Yes.  It was quite satisfying to put them where they are.  Mr. Weasley told me all about your attempts to bring them back, when he was under my control….  A pity that they died when you tried to bring them back."

Neville drew in a breath to protest, until he noticed Harry stirring on the ground.  He decided to keep Voldemort distracted.  "You killed them!  I hate you!"  He pointed his wand at Voldemort, who laughed his cold, high-pitched laugh.

"Do you honestly think that you could defeat me?  You are nothing more than a mere squib!  Avada Kedavra."

Neville erected the same sort of shield that Harry had and the spell was knocked away from him and into one of the Deatheaters.  Voldemort grew very weary.  "I tire of this game.  Kill them all."

Harry heard this and stood up, aiming his wand at the back of Voldemort's head.  "Don't even think about it, unless you want your Master to suffer the consequences."  

All of the Deatheaters stopped and looked to their Master for advice on what to do.  Voldemort simply disapperated, but dropping a bomb before he did.  Harry saw this and told everyone to run.  The Deatheaters all disapperated and most everyone was able to get out of the way before there was another enormous sound that rocked the entire street, once again…. 

It blew the remaining Order members off of their feet.  Harry looked up and saw the whole street had been blown apart.  He looked around and saw someone starting to get up.  Just then the building beside them came tumbling down, burying them in the rubble.  Harry got to his feet and somehow managed to blow the big chunks of the rubble out of the way with his hand.  He found an Order cloak buried there.  He started pulling the rest of the rocks off of the robe to see if it was on anyone, though he prayed there wouldn't be someone there.  

The others came to help him.  Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and Dumbledore were all helping to move the rock now.  Fred and George, Cho and Sirius, Remus and Nicholas all joined the strain to free the people that he had seen get trapped beneath the rubble.  Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Neville and his mother, Bill, and Charlie all joined in.   

Harry was looking at who was helping clear away the rubble and getting nervous there were still a few of them missing.  And he had no idea who had been killed by Voldemort as most of those bodies were buried by the rubble.  He prayed above all that one was not Lina.  But he hoped that none of the Order members got killed, though he knew that with the prediction there very well could be casualties.

Arabella came to the pile and started digging at a ferocious rate, which gave Harry a terrible feeling.  He started digging faster as well.  Harry found a hand coming out of the sleeve of the cloak he had found.  It was most definitely the hand of a woman.  "I've found some one!"  Everyone crowded around the spot where Harry was and they began breaking up and magicking stones away for faster removal.  They got the rest of rubble off the body and many among them gasped to see the mangled body of Ginny Weasley.  The vast majority of the group began to cry and weep, as she was either their sister, their daughter, or girlfriend.  Harry held her in his arms and tried with all his might to call on whatever was in him to revive her, but he did not have enough left.  

Harry wept onto her body.  She had always been like a sister to him and now she was gone.  But he refused to give up.  He kept trying to save her.  He began babbling nonsense just to work through it.  Finally, Dumbledore came over to him and put his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"It's all my fault!  She was too young!  I should never have asked her to join the Order!  Why did I let her?  Why didn't I protect her better?  Her family will hate me now.  I've lost the only family that I've ever know because I killed her…."

"Harry, you cannot blame yourself for this.  You did _not_ kill her.  Ginny knew the risks, as did her family.  Look around you, dear boy, they weep for her, but they weep for you, too.  They do not blame you.  They put the blame squarely on the shoulders where it belongs, Voldemort's.  Please, let me take her from you."  He conjured a stretcher and Harry placed her body on it as if he were trying to keep her from breaking any further.

Once Dumbledore walked away with her body the group of mourners surrounded Harry and embraced him.  They gave him words of encouragement, letting him know that on no uncertain terms, did they blame him for what had happened.

From behind them Sirius's voice raised above their sorrows.  "I've found another one!"  Quickly they scrambled to their feet and came to rest next to Sirius helping him dig out and remove the rock from another victim.  Professor Fletcher and Neville's father appeared and started helping remove the rubble with the rest of them.  Harry was the first one to see her face.  "Amelia, no," he whispered. 

"What?" asked Sirius as he heard what Harry said.  "No, please, Aunt Amelia.  Not you!  Oh.  Merlin's beard!  NO!"  Sirius pulled her body from the rubble.  He picked her up in his arms and started rocking with her in his lap.  "Why?  Why?  Why?" he yelled to the world, as tears streamed down his face.  Harry got up and ran down the rubble.  He ran past Percy, who gave him a look of venom that followed him until Percy could no longer see him.  He ran until he couldn't see.  His anger at the world, at Voldemort, raised to a new height.  

He knew that running away was not the answer that he need to face his fears and anger straight on.  He ran back toward the pile of rubble and found everyone had gotten off the pile to bring back the body of Amelia and to find him.  He heard a voice in his head, whether he imagined it or not, he could not tell, but it beckoned him back to the pile.

When he realized everyone was out of the way, he concentrated his anger completely onto that pile of rubble.  The rocks began to pulverize and fly off the pile.  Soon most of the rocks had been removed and disappeared.  He stopped suddenly when he realized there was another visible Order robe.  There was only one person left it could be.  He ran to her and found her, amazingly still breathing.  "Lina!  Oh, Lina, thank Merlin!"

"Harry?  Harry!  Thank goodness you found me!  I think this is the end for me…"

"Don't say that please!  I've already lost two people I love today!  I can't lose you too!"

"You don't really mean that…  Your love for me is not real…."

"You're wrong!  It is very real!  I love you, Lina Clovis.  You cannot leave me!  I need you!"  She slipped into unconsciousness, as tears rolled down Harry's cheeks.  He didn't know how he did it, but somehow he managed to get to Dumbledore in time before he left with the two other bodies.

"She's alive, but just barely!  Can we save her?"  Harry looked into the Headmaster's eyes with desperation.  

"I do not know, Harry."

He conjured up another stretcher.  Harry put her down upon the stretcher.  Dumbledore took a hold of Lina's hand and activated a portkey.  Harry was holding her hand and found himself in the school Hospital wing.  He refused to leave her side or let go of her hand, much to Madam Pomfrey's distress, but she allowed it because Dumbledore told her she should let Harry stay there.

Dumbledore made two more trips with all of the Order members and others, alive and deceased.  After several more hours of the ordeal of trying to see if there were any other people buried under the rubble, they were all required to stay so that Madam Pomfrey could do a full check up on all of them, even the Headmaster.  So, many of them had to double up on the beds they were in.  Harry, himself, had slowly slipped into unconsciousness, having completely drained away whatever magical energy he had had in him that day.


	24. An Ending or a Beginning

_Disclaimer:_ Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. 

Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)

P.S. Please read and review! 

In general to all of my fans –  Okay this is the very last chapter of this ficcy…  I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!  I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted here….  I have had a very hectic month…  Anyhow I do have a year six to follow this in the process of being written and it is being posted currently at harrypotter.com.  If you would like to join me there please note that it will be rough as it is the first draft and over there is where I did earn my screen name…  there I am the Princess of Cliffies :-D, just to warn you ….  There my s/n is rebcschult and the name of my year six there is Harry Potter and the Green Flamed Torch.  If you want the addy to my year six so that you can keep reading my writing… I will put it in my profile under my bio…. I hope you will decide to join me there.  But if not I will eventually post it here too!  But it will be quite a while before I do as I have not finished writing it yet… nor have I edited any of it yet either!  Once I finish writing it and editing it…  I will most definitely post it here!  I would like to take this time to thank you all for being loyal fans and reading my ficcy.  You will never know how much it has meant to me to have you all as fans!  THANK YOU!!!  :-D  

Butler – Thank you for reading!  I'm so glad that you have enjoyed this!  I hope you'll join me for my year six!  :-D

Athenakitty – Thank you for all the questions…  I hope that most of your questions have been answered.  I realize I have left several things in the air…  Those things are to be answered in future ficcys.  I hope you have enjoyed what you have read!  Thank you for being a loyal reader.   :-D

Texasjeanette – Thank you so much for your wonderful comments!  I'm so glad that you enjoyed what I wrote.  Indeed it is interesting that the death of women he loves and cares for have given him strength… to be honest,  this part of the story wrote itself for the most part. ;-D  Thank you so much for being a loyal reader!  I have enjoyed your comments and insights.  I hope you join me for my year six!   :-D

Numbal – I believe you are new so WELCOME!!  And I am happy you have enjoyed what you have read!  Thank you for reading!!  I hope you will join me for my year six.  :-D

Manateegirl524 –WOW!!  Thanks!  I'm so sorry it took me so long to post the next chapter!!  I'm so glad that you have enjoyed this ficcy that much!  I hope you will join me for my year six!  I know this end is short and sweet…. And that I leave you wanting more…. But if I gave it all to you now…. Then there wouldn't be anything for the other two years!  And believe me when I say that this is just the beginning of my plans…. Hehehehehe!!  Thank you for being such a wonderful and loyal reader!!!  It has been a pleasure to have you read my ficcy!  :-D

Dnd4ever – I believe you are new so WELCOME!  As for killing the pretty little red head… heheheheheh…. Well _maybe_ you should read the rest of my ficcys before you say this (hint, hint).  ;-D  believe me when I say that there is still much that I have planned…..  Anyhow…  thank you so much for reading!!  I hope you'll join me for my year six!  :-D

Oxi-Nu – Thank you so much for your wonderful comments!!  I'm so glad you enjoyed what I have written!  And that's okay about being comfused…  Hehehehe!  I'm a blond so a state of confusion is natural for me at times!  ;-D Thank you for being a loyal reader!  I hope you'll join me for my year six!  :-D   

The Keymaker –Hehehehehe!  I guess you will find out what happened to Lina…. Sort of… right now!  I would like to thank you for being such a loyal reader!  I have enjoyed your comments and insights!  I hope you'll join me for my year six!  :-D

OOoWASPToOo/Billy –Thank you so much for your compliments and for giving me your new email address!  If you are asking about my year five on harrypotter.com…  Unfortunately, because I was finished with it and it hadn't been bumped on as regularly, they deleted it….  But I do have a group web page with several other of the Royal Family of Cliffies that has my year five.  If you would like that let me know… but as for my year six… the address is in my bio in my profile.  I have not yet put any of my year six on the group web page.  Anyhow…. Thank you so much for being a loyal fan and enthusiastic!!  I really appreciate your comments and compliments!  I hope you'll join me to read my year six!  :-D

11111 – Thank you so much for you compliments!!  I really appreciate them!  As for Lina…. Well I guess you'll have to read this chapter to see what happens to Lina….  But here's a hint…. She is still an important character!  ;-D  Congratulations on the Yankees getting A-Rod.    Thank you for being a loyal and wonderful reader!!  I hope to see you at my year six!  :-D

Cyress – WELCOME!!  Thank you for your compliments!  I hope you will enjoy this little ending.  Thank you for reading and I hope to see you at my year six! :-D

Thirdxdemension – WELCOME!!  Thank you so much for the compliments!!  I'm very glad that you have enjoyed my ficcy!  I hope you'll join me at my year six!  Last chapter is here! :-D  

**_CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR – AN ENDING OR A BEGINNING_**

Harry and the other Order members left the Hospital wing soon after their ordeal that day.  They had been given restorative draughts and Ron was given the cure to the black potion that still ran through his veins.  

Ron was horrified to find out how much he had missed.  And with the upcoming O.W.L.s he didn't know how he would get through everything to take them in time.  Ron was happy to note that the tests would only include that which he had already learned.  Taking out much of his worry.

The tests by comparison to what they had faced in Diagon ally was much easier than they had all anticipated.  The proctors arrived for the O.W.L.s and the test schedules were set up.  They took the written portion of the tests in the morning and then began the practical parts in the afternoons.  The hardest O.W.L. by far was potions, as Snape who was proctoring the written part of the exam paced up and down the rows and scoffed at some of the answers that the students were writing.  He seemed to be in a particularly foul mood.  Harry even noticed a few differences about him.  He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew there was something different about him.

Professor Clovis was better, but not out of the Hospital wing.  After Harry, Hermione, and Ron had completed their written part of the Defense Against the Dark Arts, and while they were waiting for what turned out to be one of the best O.W.L. practicals, they ever ended up taking, they went to visit Professor Clovis.  She had seen enough of what Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Ron could do in the Alley, that she knew they would do very well. 

They chatted for some time and then left to do their practicals.  Harry was the first to finish his practical and returned to the hospital wing.  When he got there Lina was sleeping.  He sat for a long time just watching over her.  He put his head down on the bed next to her and fell asleep himself.  He woke up to a hand rubbing through his hair.  He lifted his head and looked into the eyes of the woman that had stolen his heart.  Harry helped her to sit up.

They spoke softly for some time.  Finally, after a short time of quietly looking into each other's eyes Lina spoke, "Harry, you know that you saved my life don't you?"

"Yes," he said shyly.

"For that I can never repay you enough."  She gave him a bright smile.

"Your smile is payment enough for me….  And I meant every word you know…."

"When?"

"When I was trying to save you in the alley….  I meant every word….  I love you with all my heart."

"Are you sure, Harry?  Are you sure that this is not just a crush?"

"I know what a crush is.  I had a crush on Cho….  But this is different.  I almost feel like I am meant to be with you….  I'm sure that sounds crazy, you being my teacher and all."

"Not at all, Harry.  I have long felt something for you, too.  And since you have passed all of your requirements for your Defense Against the Dark Arts class I am no longer your teacher."

"But, aren't you coming back to teach next year?"

"No.  It has been a very difficult year for me here.  I cannot continue."

"But….  But…."

"I will not be far away though….  I am part of the Order now….  And I feel more at home here than I ever did back where I'm from.  So I'll be around…."

Harry was saddened by the news, but knew that her being nearby would be good too.  They sat there for the remainder of the time together, talking a bit, but mostly staring into each other's eyes.  Then just before he knew that Madam Pomfrey was going to come out of her office to kick him out, he felt the time was now or never.  He leaned in, and once again found her leaning in too.  Their lips locked for the first time, and Harry felt elation enter his being.  He nearly skipped out of the room before Madam Pomfrey ever left her office.  For the first time in his life he felt so happy, even if it were only for a short while, before he had to return to the harsh reality of his real life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ron and Hermione had finished their practicals and were going back to visit Professor Clovis again, figuring that Harry would be there.  They reached the door and saw that Harry was sitting in the chair with his head down next to her.  They watched as she woke up and looked at their best friend.  They could see and feel the struggle that she was going through as she gently rubbed her hand through Harry's hair and woke him up.

Ron was about to barge into the wing and visit with them, but Hermione stopped him.  Ron looked at her confusedly.  She led him away from the Wing to the Library.

"What is it, Hermione?"

"I think I finally figured out where it is that I saw something that would help out Harry and Professor Clovis…."

"Really?  Where?"

"Where do you think?  The Library!!"

"Well, I knew that!  I mean where, in what book?"

"The one that you have been reading all year…."

"What _Hogwarts: A History_?"

"Precisely."

The weeks went by, stories and rumors flew around the castle about what had happened to Ron.  He had become a hero to many as the story, which he was constantly being asked to tell became more and more accurate as to what exactly had happened.  When he had first told the story he had left many of the gruesome details out, as he did not want everything to come out.  But as time wore on more details came out with every telling, especially when the nightmares continued to haunt him about what had happened. 

In fact they all had nightmares about what happened.  Neville woke up screaming Ginny's name, most nights, and it took putting a silencing spell around Dean's and Seamus' beds to keep them from being woken up by one of the other three on a nightly basis, particularly after the funerals for Ginny and Amelia were held.  

The sadness over the losses was still fresh in Harry's mind when he went to the closing feast.  And saw that yet again the black flags were the ones that were hanging in memory of those lost.

 Dumbledore stood before they began the feast.  "Another year gone.  And now I must ask that you all give a moment of silence in respect of those among us that were lost in the terrible tragedy at the Diagon Alley field trip, the day that Voldemort attacked."  The hall fell eerily silent before Dumbledore continued, "Now, I must apologize again for the cancellation of the Quidditch final this year, but it was necessary and essential to use our resources for the important task of bringing back one of our number from being kidnapped."  He looked at Ron, who smiled slightly.  "And we were quite lucky to be able to do just that.  Now let the feast begin and let your minds be emptied over the summer so that you will come back eager to learn more in the fall.  Thank you."  He said no more.  He did not mention more about Voldemort being back….  He hadn't needed to.

 Rita Skeeter had gotten the best story of all….  She had gotten the chance to not only get the exclusive on how Voldemort had come back (privately interviewing Harry), but also she had been undercover for Dumbledore for the entire year, finding out as much information as she could about what Voldemort's activities were.  She was then able to publish her findings, once Voldemort had revealed himself, effectively stopping many of his plans of attack directly after the attack in Diagon Alley.

The day after the closing feast, they warily and sadly climbed the train and went back home.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione were silent for most of the way home.  Ron and Hermione knew that they were about to separate for a couple of months were quietly hoping for time together during the summer.  The sadness of Hermione's parents being gone slowly grew as the train traveled further toward London, hanging like a very black cloud above her head.  The tears silently fell down her cheeks, knowing that there would be no way for her to ever see them again and returning home now was a harsh reminder of that.  

Harry's mind was far off in the horizon, realizing that his one hope of salvation during the summer was gone with the death of Amelia Figg.  He closed his eyes to once again try to erase from his mind the look of pain upon her face when they had found her in the rubble.

They got off the train ominously.  They each had no idea what would be in store for them over the next few months and all were silently hoping that Voldemort would not try anything with their families.  Harry somehow knew that Voldemort was aware of whom everyone in the Order was and privately he feared what that meant when they were not protected at home.  

All of them quietly wished each other goodbye, knowing what was on each other's minds and finding it hard to put into words how they felt, they simply hugged, shook hands and said goodbye.  With a sense of foreboding Harry walked back through the barrier seeing the angry red face of his uncle great him and quickly steer him away to the car to go back to the place he would never consider to be home….

THE END OF MY YEAR FIVE!!!

A/N: Again as I mentioned before I am in the process of writing a year six and posting it at harrypotter.com….     

I hope you will join me there…  but if you have a weak constitution, be warned…..  I am not called the Princess of Cliffies for nothing! :-D  Thank you all for reading my year five!!  

P.S. Occasionally I will return and respond to any new comments left…  I will also put a message here just after I have begun to post my year six here at ff.net.  I will give you the new addy to it at that time!  Thanks again for being my loyal fans and reading my ficcy!  


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